English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

Oh, dear.

You're one of them?

WendiKidd

One of them? I just like my iPad, lol. I'm not a crazy apple fan or anything

Just have an iPad and like it ;)

"Just"?

shakes heads

It's OK.

We all mistakes, hehe.

WendiKidd

Haha

Ilya

12:18 AM

@MattЭллен Thanks. While this coincides with the meaning (I could also say "scorch the earth"), this doesn't seem to pass the Google test.

What are you trying to say?

1:11 AM

Guyss

I have a question

From the following sentence "The right amount of div ninjas was found", is it appropriate to put 'was' there?

Should it be 'were'?

1:26 AM

@Cerberus I sure do love your apple hatred. :D

Yay!

@TemporaryNickName I think you want "number" instead of "amount", since ninjas are countable. But I don't know what "div ninjas" are.

As to was v. were, it depends on what you mean exactly.

The quote is from a book. "div" is name of a programming code =D.

It is hard to say whether was or were is better without fully understanding what it is about.

You probably want were.

@Cerberus hmm, ok. I never realized 'number' and 'amount' have differences. I guess smart people also make many grammar mistakes even in their books! =P

Hehe.

Absolutely!

3:12 AM

I'm gushing.

From my advertising teacher:

> What a superb response to the assignment! Thank you! This makes my day/week/semester, and earns you 3 "bonus points!"

Q: Are the two sentences equal?

3:37 AM

0

Namely named noticed namings nominate neither nature nor nether not necessitating nurture nominating nonnatural nature. Ie. one enjoys math and analytic subjects. Are the two the same? I indispensably indicate indubitable indifference in entirety into incomprehensible intoxication in interest ...

which-what

Q: Shouldn’t people looking for FAQs be able to find them?

3:50 AM

0

The ELU FAQ versus the ELU FAQs Suppose you come to ELU with a question that you figure is a common one, so you conscientiously check out the ELU FAQ link first before asking your question. Which of course doesn’t help you at all, since that very prominently placed and named link does not lead ...

discussion feature-request user-interface site-faq new-users

We have a perverse FAQ.

4:30 AM

@tchrist nice work.

Thanks. I’m glad somebody liked it. :)

It’s just perverse that the FAQ link does not lead to the FAQs, neither directly nor indirectly.

4:54 AM

Twenty-five words missing from English.

3 Backpfeifengesicht (German): A face badly in need of a fist

4 Bakku-shan (Japanese): A beautiful girl… as long as she’s being viewed from behind

8 Gigil (pronounced Gheegle; Filipino): The urge to pinch or squeeze something that is unbearably cute

24 Waldeinsamkeit (German): The feeling of being alone in the woods
25 Yoko meshi (Japanese): literally ‘a meal eaten sideways,’ referring to the peculiar stress induced by speaking a foreign language

German: vorgestern

For ereyesterday.

Or übermorgen.

Finnish poronkusema: the distance a reindeer can walk between toilet stops.

@tchrist counterpoint: butterface

Hm, apparently the Brits have no word for kitty-corner.

You mean catty-corner?

No, but you might.

:)

5:03 AM

That was from here.

5:24 AM

@tchrist interesting.

theUg

5:49 AM

@tchrist, here?/

I have a question. How to reference certain sense from the dictionary? For instance, if I am to reference specifically second sense from here:

oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/cracked?q=cracked

How do you mean?

You can write "cracked 1." or something?

theUg

That’s what I need. How to properly reference that (as in print), and not to confuse with something like _batty_<sup>2</sup> which references altogether different, unrelated sense.

6:50 AM

Make sure your reader understands that you are referring to dictionary entries.

When in doubt, write in full: "the first sense of cracked mentioned in dictionary x is..."

theUg

I link the definition, it’s for SE post.

OK.