English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

Matt Эллен

08:04

Maria!

user19161

@mah @mat Boo!

Mahnax

@JasperLoy Hi! I thought you said you do not do stars?

user19161

Haha, you are all nuts.

user19161

@Mahnax Indeed. That must be you or Gigili.

Mahnax

@JasperLoy Not me.

Matt Эллен

08:05

Not me

user19161

Then it is Gigili, QED.

Matt Эллен

oh, right, it's my message :D

Mahnax

@JasperLoy How so? There are lots of others here.

user19161

@Mahnax Well, just a random thought.

Mahnax

@JasperLoy Oh, alright then.

user19161

08:07

What do you think of the Mariah pic?

Mahnax

It's fine, I guess.

Matt Эллен

Marihariha! Clearly a Super Saiyan

2

user19161

@Mahnax Must be better than the Justin pic for you.

Mahnax

@JasperLoy Well, yes.

There are many things that would be better than Justin.

user19161

@Mahnax Or the Taylor one.

Mahnax

08:08

@JasperLoy I can't decide which is worse.

user19161

Did you star that @mah?

Mahnax

@JasperLoy Nope!

user19161

@Mahnax Then it must be Gigili spying.

Mahnax

@JasperLoy Nonsense!

There are plenty of other people lurking at the moment.

user19161

@Mahnax Yeah, but I can see them all.

Mahnax

08:10

@JasperLoy What?

user19161

They think they are hidden but they are not.

Mahnax

Alrighty then.

user19161

I have bionic eyes.

Mahnax

I can't see that being any advantage.

Matt Эллен

Are you normally up at this hour, @Mahnax?

Mahnax

08:12

@MattЭллен Yeah.

Matt Эллен

good, good :)

Mahnax

Yep!

No sleep for me!

user19161

@MattЭллен Oh God, reduplication!

user19161

@Mahnax No rest for the wicked!

Matt Эллен

@JasperLoy Oh, god!, oh, god!

user19161

08:14

@MattЭллен Still wrong.

Matt Эллен

righter than eva

user19161

Can a comma follow an exclamation?

Matt Эллен

"sometimes!", she said

Mahnax

Now now, let's not overuse said.

user19161

Not counted, since the quote mark is there.

Mahnax

08:15

Here's a page full of awful alternatives that we should use instead.

user19161

Why? Is it overused?

Mahnax

You can use said once a page, that's it.

Sorry, just reliving middle school English.

Matt Эллен

Yahoo!, the search engine company, make it possible

Have Fun Slower

Isn't Matt's comma misplaced?

user19161

@MattЭллен Good, good.

Have Fun Slower

08:15

In the "sometimes!" remark

user19161

@HaveFunSlower Were you the starrer?

Have Fun Slower

The yahoo thing is clever though.

Jasper - what?

user19161

@HaveFunSlower I've forgotten all about commas.

user19161

@HaveFunSlower The starrer is the person who stars the messages.

Have Fun Slower

I don't know about commas, but I'm anal about colons.

Mahnax

08:17

And I'm anal about dashes.

user19161

Why "Have fun slower"? It should be "Have fun more slowly"! Haha.

Matt Эллен

The doctor walked in.
"Given that", he began, "Amy pond is in two places at once, Rory is in a lot of trouble."

Mahnax

@HaveFunSlower psssst: use an em-dash

—

Have Fun Slower

You mean, do something to the messages to make them show up, over on the right? How does one do that?

user19161

What's anal?

Matt Эллен

08:18

@JasperLoy but the picture is of a Sun Flower

Mahnax

@HaveFunSlower Hover over one and click the black star.

Matt Эллен

the name wouldn't make sense if it was more slowly

user19161

@HaveFunSlower Then it's probably not you. Hmm, might be Vitaly.

user19161

Vitaly might be the starrer as well.

Have Fun Slower

Why is my one yellow?

Mahnax

08:19

@HaveFunSlower Your what?

Matt Эллен

@HaveFunSlower because it's yours

Have Fun Slower

Does the star turn the color of the person's icon or something?

so that you know who it is?

Mahnax

No.

If you star something, your star becomes yellow to show that you've starred it.

Matt Эллен

you can tell which ones I've started because they're yellow

user19161

I don't do stars in chat.

Mahnax

08:20

@JasperLoy Do you have a list of 16 messages that you cycle through?

Have Fun Slower

I'll have to start starring now that I know how.

Oh, cool, you can remove it by clicking it again!

Matt Эллен

es verdad

Mahnax

@HaveFunSlower Yep. But after a certain amount of time, you can no longer unstar.

Matt Эллен

but only for a short while

user19161

@Mahnax Maybe, I love saying QED.

user19161

08:22

I say QED when I want to conclude something or end the discussion.

Matt Эллен

Quickly! End Discussion.

user19161

@MattЭллен Haha.

Matt Эллен

:)

Have Fun Slower

Jasper - how do you get people to listen when you say that?

user19161

@HaveFunSlower Well, they have gotten used to my nonsense.

user19161

08:24

I talk nonsense all the time.

Have Fun Slower

So, people who are used to you automatically stop talking when you say QED? The power!

Mahnax

Oh dear.

My knee is twitching.

user19161

But hey my nonsense also contains the truth of the cosmos.

user19161

It's up to you to interpret my lines in over 9000 ways.

Matt Эллен

@Mahnax a sure sign of madness. Or tiredness

Mahnax

08:25

@MattЭллен I vote madness.

Have Fun Slower

or old age perhaps?

Mahnax

I did, after all, walk to work while giggling and counting to five in Russian the other day.

user19161

yi er san si wu

user19161

satu dua tiga empat lima

Mahnax

@HaveFunSlower Yeah, a decade and a half is a long time.

Isa dalawa tatlo apat lima.

user19161

08:26

one two three four five

Mahnax

Un deux trois quatre cinq.

Yksi käksi kolme neljä viisi.

Matt Эллен

@Mahnax searches for the straight jacket

Mahnax

Ich nee san shi go.

Matt Эллен

shi*

user19161

@MattЭллен Reminds me of straight-laced vs strait-laced.

user19161

08:27

@Mahnax Amazing how Japanese sounds like Chinese.

Matt Эллен

@JasperLoy interesting. was that a question on the main site?

user19161

@MattЭллен It was my question.

Have Fun Slower

Isn't it strait jacket and straight-laced?

Mahnax

Hey, here's a joke for y'all:

Matt Эллен

strait-laced and probably strait jacket

Mahnax

08:29

An Irishman walks out of a bar.

Matt Эллен

lol

user19161

@HaveFunSlower Straight-laced = strait-laced. QED.

user19161

@Mahnax Hey I never understood that joke.

Have Fun Slower

I'm Irish. It's not funny.

Mahnax

@JasperLoy It relies on a knowledge of stereotypes.

@HaveFunSlower Oh, I'm sorry.

Have Fun Slower

08:32

Hey, don't sweat it, I'm just messing with you dude/dudette.

user19161

Anyway how do you spell whisky?

Mahnax

Well, it's hard to tell on the Internet.

user19161

CALD says the British spelling is whisky and the American and Irish ones are whiskey.

Have Fun Slower

Don't know about Americans. But yeah, with an e in Ireland.

user19161

Yeah I just go by the dictionary. What is in there is based on corpus data. Some people think they are a native speaker and it does not matter what the dictionary says, but the dictionary is info compiled from multiple native speakers and more.

Mahnax

08:35

How did the hipster burn his hand?

He touched the stove before it was cool.

Matt Эллен

lol

user19161

You guys are all nuts.

Mahnax

Two goldfish are in a tank. One says to the other, "I'll man the gun, you drive."

Matt Эллен

lol, you're full of them this morning!

Mahnax

Indeed!

user19161

08:38

@Mahnax Do you have a stupid joke book in front of you now?

Mahnax

@JasperLoy Not really.

Matt Эллен

The chief of police gave a talk on drugs. He wasn't coherent

user19161

@Mahnax It must be behind you then. Or maybe under your ass.

Mahnax

@JasperLoy Such awful language from you today!

user19161

@Mahnax Yeah someone was shocked when I used shit in another room.

Have Fun Slower

08:40

What did you use it for?

Mahnax

He must have been in the Gardening room.

user19161

Well, he wasn't really shocked.

user19161

@Mahnax Haha. You are supposed to say fertilizer. Oh did I just kill the joke?

user19161

Sometimes I don't even know there is a joke. I am awesome like that.

RegDwight ΒВB

If you think about it, manure is not really that bad a word. I mean, it's 'newer', which is good, and a 'ma' in front of it, which is also good.

user19161

08:42

Yeah, ma for mahnax and ma for matt and ma for dear mama.

user19161

Also manure becomes mature when you change a letter or manicure when you add two.

Have Fun Slower

It also becomes mature if you leave it long enough.

user19161

Yeah, and if we eat manure we will probably get more manure or become manure ourselves.

Matt Эллен

manure really confusing me

user19161

LOL

Mahnax

08:46

@JasperLoy Why would you even think about that?

user19161

All of us are full of manure today!

Mahnax

Speak for yourself!

user19161

@Mahnax I was inspired by your fishes.

Mahnax

I'm full of jokes, energy, and— look at that, it's 3 AM.

Have Fun Slower

How many reputation points do I need to earn before I can comment on somebody's answer? There's an incorrect answer somewhere that requires a response.

Mahnax

08:48

@HaveFunSlower 50, I think.

Vitaly

@JasperLoy What?

Have Fun Slower

Crap, I'm on 47 right now.

user19161

@HaveFunSlower You can also consult the FAQ on rep.

Matt Эллен

@HaveFunSlower there is a list: english.stackexchange.com/privileges

Have Fun Slower

Quicker to ask here.

Matt Эллен

08:49

comment privilege

user19161

@HaveFunSlower Sometimes we forget so we consult the FAQ. That then makes it slower.

RegDwight ΒВB

So blah blah blah. Cut to the chase.

Have Fun Slower

Someone else could post it for me, I guess. The agree with/to/on question. Shyam's answer is just begging for "I don't agree with this analysis".

RegDwight ΒВB

Where teh answer iz?

Ah.

0

A: "Agree on" vs. "agree with" vs. "agree to"

The object is the difference. You have to agree with some person or group. I agree with you. You agree on some issue or point of debate. We agreed on this issue. You agree to demands/queries, or you agree to do something. He agreed to my demands. He agreed to join me for the...

Matt Эллен

ELL fodder

Have Fun Slower

08:51

What is ELL?

Mahnax

Pretty much.

RegDwight ΒВB

52

English Language Learners

Proposed Q&A site for people learning English, whose questions are too basic for the English Language and Usage site.

Currently in definition.

Mahnax

Wow, 52? Not bad.

Matt Эллен

speaking of which, would we want to redirect single-word-requests to ELL, or are they better here?

Mahnax

Send some people to FiL&U!

Matt Эллен

08:52

is it in commitment yet, @Mahnax?

Have Fun Slower

Gosh, if that site is ever made, the moderators will waste too much time transferring questions back and forth between the two. Better just to have one site, and anyone with a brain can ignore the questions they don't like.

Mahnax

@MattЭллен Not even close…

Matt Эллен

@HaveFunSlower I'd rather not. I'd rather EL&U was a place where we weren't teaching English.

Mahnax

It needs 32 followers and 38 questions with a score of ten or more to move to the next phase.

Have Fun Slower

Then don't teach English here.

Matt Эллен

08:53

it's not what the site was set up for

Mahnax

@MattЭллен I agree.

Matt Эллен

@HaveFunSlower right, but we need soemwhere for the people who want to learn English to go

RegDwight ΒВB

@HaveFunSlower so we don't. But that doesn't make the questions go away. Legitimate questions at that.

Have Fun Slower

So, let them stay here. And ignore them. Or if you like them, don't ignore them.

RegDwight ΒВB

... or have a separate site for them.

Mahnax

08:54

@HaveFunSlower Ignoring them is not the solution.

Have Fun Slower

Fine, I'm clearly in the minority here. I'll shut up.

Mahnax

EL&U is supposed to be a place for higher-level questions, in my opinion.

RegDwight ΒВB

@HaveFunSlower well not really. Many people raise the same concern. But so far it isn't even in Commitment. So big deal. Let's wait and see how it pans out or whether at all.

Have Fun Slower

Yes. If there were some hierarchical structure to the tags.

Vitaly

you didn't have to remove that!

Mahnax

08:56

@Vitaly Seconded.

Have Fun Slower

You removed the line I was replying to.

Matt Эллен

@Vitaly who me? well, Have Fun Slower had said they'd stop talking abut it, so my continuation seemed petty

RegDwight ΒВB

> Why do we need separate sites at all? we could just have all the English questions on SO. People can ignore the ones they don't want to see, right?

7

Just mentally push it a tad higher.

Matt Эллен

heh

RegDwight ΒВB

Or read the transcript backwards. Same difference, really.

Bah all those LUs are getting created like shrooms after a rain.

5

Tibetan Language and Usage

Proposed Q&A site for students, teachers, and linguists who wish to discuss the finer points of the Tibetan language.

Currently in definition.

Matt Эллен

09:02

@HaveFunSlower — you and @MrShinyAndNew will get along it seems :) he's of the same inclination

RegDwight ΒВB

> How can I edit Tibetan in Word on Windows?

Now if that ain't a finer point of the Tibetan language for linguists to discuss!

The Slavic proposal is even funnier.

2

Slavic Languages and Usage

Proposed Q&A site for proposed Q&A site for students, teachers, and linguists who wish to discuss the finer points of the similarities and/or differences of all slavic languages.

Currently in definition.

Matt Эллен

@RegDwightΒВB it's a pressing point for the Dali Lama

RegDwight ΒВB

The only question so far...

> Do all slavic languages use the same alphabet?

Those finer points are getting finer by the second.

Mahnax

I should go to sleep.

Have Fun Slower

but isn't that just an example question? There isn't actually a person who wanted to know that.

Mahnax

09:06

Bye all!

Matt Эллен

good dreams @Mahnax :)

Have Fun Slower

Bye Mahnax.

Mahnax

@MattЭллен Ew, dreams?

RegDwight ΒВB

CU

Matt Эллен

yes!

Mahnax

09:06

gasps Alright then. Bye!

RegDwight ΒВB

@HaveFunSlower and where do you suppose example questions come from? :P

> added by saric 2 days ago

That's the proposal creator.

Have Fun Slower

Well, whoever thought having such a site would be a good idea decided to think up things that might be asked, yeah? Or are they actually taken from somewhere real?

RegDwight ΒВB

He thought it up, yes.

Have Fun Slower

It's not a very imaginative question. So what?

Matt Эллен

They must be asking questions they want answered, or why bother?

RegDwight ΒВB

09:08

The thing is, he created the proposal. He thinks it would be a good idea to have the site. He needs the site. Yet he himself can only think of one question, and what a question it is.

Have Fun Slower

Yes I guess you're right.

RegDwight ΒВB

I'm just sayin, perhaps it would be a cool site. But it will never get any traction like this.

Have Fun Slower

Does he need the site though, or is he thinking of it as a useful resource for others? Presumably, if he's from Czech Republic, he already actually knows the answer to this question.

RegDwight ΒВB

Well to be completely fair, he may even have posted that question for it to be downvoted, as an example of something that would be too basic for the site.

Except that that's probably the most favourable and least likely interpretation.

Actually it used to be that you had to post examples of off-topic questions. But they changed it.

Now you only need on-topic ones, but tons of them.

Matt Эллен

enough to fill a large lounge

RegDwight ΒВB

09:12

Speaking of which, recast your votes folks, if they are on 11+ questions.

Matt Эллен

have done, aye

we still need at least 16 more questions

RegDwight ΒВB

I could get you twice that many.

Matt Эллен

alas we're limited to asking 5

RegDwight ΒВB

Yeah it's strange actually.

What does it matter who posted the 40 most bestest questions?

Matt Эллен

I suppose to make sure there are at least 8 people able to ask questions

RegDwight ΒВB

09:16

Oh. That.

Have Fun Slower

Well, if one person posted 40 questions, that could mean that only one person wants the site, but they want it really badly.

RegDwight ΒВB

@HaveFunSlower but someone would have to vote each and every one of them up, all the way up to 10.

Have Fun Slower

Oh. Can someone who doesn't want the site downvote the questions, to stop them getting to 10? Would that work?

Matt Эллен

yes

RegDwight ΒВB

Hey don't give him ideas.

Matt Эллен

09:17

:D

so long as there weren't more people to up vote the questions

RegDwight ΒВB

The answer is no. No. You cannot downvote. Anywhere ever.

Have Fun Slower

How many downvotes am I allowed?

Matt Эллен

in fact, you have to pay $100 to just up vote

RegDwight ΒВB

@HaveFunSlower five.

Have Fun Slower

Do I get paid $100 for each downvote then?

Matt Эллен

09:19

no, down votes aren't possible!

RegDwight ΒВB

Only if it's on Tibetan Language and Usage.

The Chinese Government themselves will pay you. They might do so in tögrögs, though.

Have Fun Slower

So long as they have enough tögrögs to be worth $100, I don't mind.

RegDwight ΒВB

You assume there's enough tögrögs in the world to be worth anything.

Have Fun Slower

I don't care if they're in the world, so long as they give them to me.

RegDwight ΒВB

How very villainy of you.

Apr 19 '11 at 19:11, by Kosmonaut

Have Fun Slower

09:23

I don't look like that, if that's what you're suggesting.

RegDwight ΒВB

Nah I never suggest on Fridays.

It's Kosmo. He's the suggestive suggester round these parts.

Matt Эллен

obviously that's what this guy looks like

mmyers, United States

3.5k 3 13 34

RegDwight ΒВB

Yeah. There was an MSO post.

Have Fun Slower

MSO?

Matt Эллен

heh. I do vaguely remember that

RegDwight ΒВB

09:25

26

A: Are rumors of a film true? I hope so by golly!

Mike Myers as mmyers. This one should be obvious.

@HaveFunSlower Meta Stack Overflow.

Gigili

emeso.

Matt Эллен

Meta Stack Overflow

RegDwight ΒВB

Jinx!

Matt Эллен

@RegDwightΒВB sorry a frog got it

RegDwight ΒВB

Awwww... he's cute, I'll allow it.

Matt Эллен

09:27

:D

Gigili

@JasperLoy I really do take exception to that.

RegDwight ΒВB

No Java in this chat.

Gigili

That's jQuery in Halloween.

Matt Эллен

lol

NARQ

0

Q: About the future actions

Is it correct to say: "I will do that thing when I will talk to him."?

phrases verbs future-tense

Have Fun Slower

Will one of you post my suggested comment on Shyam's answer? I don't have the points to comment myself. And the answer, despite being wrong, has earnt another upvote.

Matt Эллен

09:34

I've voted OT, because it's like proof reading too

@HaveFunSlower what about it do you disagree with?

Have Fun Slower

The point of my proposed comment is that it speaks for itself.

Matt Эллен

consider it done

Have Fun Slower

Oh, don't credit me.

Just send me a cheque.

RegDwight ΒВB

Have Fun Slower

No, not a Czech.

You sent me one of those already today!

RegDwight ΒВB

09:40

But it isn't a czech. It's a Cech.

Have Fun Slower

It's a Czech called Cech.

RegDwight ΒВB

But does he use the same alphabet as other cheques?

Have Fun Slower

Hey someone told me once that FIFA insists on having the Latin alphabets on football shirts. Anyone know if this is true?

I'm just trying to visualise the Russian team.

RegDwight ΒВB

I don't know, but when was the last time you saw something else on someone's shirt?

@HaveFunSlower the Russian team was labeled in Latin.

Have Fun Slower

The Greeks have the Latin alphabet, definitely.

So do the Ukrainians.

But is it a FIFA rule, or just a convention?

RegDwight ΒВB

09:44

I suppose it is a rule, and a pointful one at that.

Noöne can read ершы тщтыутыую

Have Fun Slower

But who needs to? The only thing the ref needs to do is write down the player's number if they get a yellow card.

Matt Эллен

yep. I can't, and I represent all the population

RegDwight ΒВB

Commentators? Fans? Police?

Have Fun Slower

Hey, nobody can SAY тщтыутыую

Matt Эллен

the player himself

RegDwight ΒВB

09:45

@HaveFunSlower I just did.

Have Fun Slower

I tried, and now I have to wipe my screen. It sounds like a train.

RegDwight ΒВB

You should transkeyboard it back.

Matt Эллен

4

RegDwight ΒВB

Or that.

I was just going to post a helpful image of a keyboard, but Google was faster.

Have Fun Slower

I expect that many of the fans of the Russian football team can probably read the Russian alphabet.

RegDwight ΒВB

09:48

So? I can read Hiragana, too.

Haha Barrie managed to answer a closed question.

Good for him.

I liked OP's clarifying comment, too.

@RegDwightBBB: I mean "..if I will talk to him...". But even "after I..." — A_nto2 11 mins ago

Gigili

Nice comment, what does it mean?

Matt Эллен

I saw. I did not understand

RegDwight ΒВB

I wonder if Nortonn has given up or is asleep.

Matt Эллен

fingers crossed for the former

Meysam

10:12

Anybody has experience working with Canon 550D?

Canon EOS 550D

The Canon EOS 550D is an 18.0 megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera, announced by Canon on 8 February 2010. It was made available starting 24 February 2010 and to US dealers starting early March. It is known as the EOS Kiss X4 in Japan, and as the EOS Rebel T2i in the Americas. It continued the entry-level digital SLR camera series (known as the Rebel line in the Americas) of Canon, and was placed by Canon as the successor model to the EOS 500D. It was superseded by the EOS 600D (Kiss X5/Rebel T3i), but remained in Canon's lineup until being discontinued in June 2012 with the annou...

Matt Эллен

Photography

They also have a chat room

I have no experience with it, @Meysam

RegDwight ΒВB

My wife only has Nikons and Zeniths.

Meysam

@MattЭллен dead chat room

Matt Эллен

Questions about canon 550D

Meysam

@MattЭллен Thanks

Matt Эллен

10:16

no trouble. hopefully someone can help you!

@Meysam it doesn't seem super dead. there are people in there, just not chatting. maybe they'll come to life if you ask a question?

RegDwight ΒВB

Poke them with a stick. Alternately, stick them with a poke.

If that still doesn't work, use a tripod.

Matt Эллен

:D

Meysam

:D

Gigili

Kill them all with one bullet.

RegDwight ΒВB

Чидфые ешьу!

Matt Эллен

10:24

have fun!

Gigili

Is that mahlzeit in Russian?

Or gotta motor?

Matt Эллен

xblast time

Gigili

Gotta run?

Oh, that. I should have guessed!

Matt Эллен

I googled :)

Meysam

@Gigili Reminds me of the last scene of "wanted"

Gigili

10:34

> A frustrated office worker learns that he is the son of a professional assassin, and that he shares his father's superhuman killing abilities.

Hugh! I wouldn't watch it.

Matt Эллен

I found it very silly

@RobinHood - did you mean to write "ultimate gaol--peace"? That's an interesting statement. Peace as the ultimate prison.

RobinHood

I am lazy :D, its already pointing by some others too/ finally corrected.

Matt Эллен

Ah! well, never mind then :)

RobinHood

@RegDwightB Tea time. \o/

JSBձոգչ

3

this should please you english people

Matt Эллен

10:49

lol

Transcript for

English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…