« first day (486 days earlier)      last day (4439 days later) » 

1:24 AM
Hi.
 
 
5 hours later…
6:04 AM
I made it to page 2, at long last. Huzzah!
 
 
3 hours later…
user19161
8:36 AM
@Mahnax Congrats!
 
10:12 AM
 
10:32 AM
@MattЭллен Hey, give him a break. That is proper Anglo-Saxon pronunciation of seal.
 
@Robusto Oh, it's an old folk selling the bike. well that's OK then
I know you older types forget how spelling works
 
I no rite.
 
Us kids and our spelling decoupled from our pronunciation! Get off your lawn
 
What crawled up your ass and died this morning?
 
Oh nothing :D I wasn't trying to sound grumpy. Just failing at humour
Although, that would explain this strange itching sensation
 
10:36 AM
And it's "Get the fuck off my lawn!"
 
I'm sensitive about my spelling. People make fun of me all the time because I spell things correctly. It's not fair.
 
lol
I have a recollection of kids at school getting upset because I would use long words like recollection
"Why can't you just say what you mean?"
"But that is what I mean. I don't underst-" thump
 
When we were doing vocabulary drills in 7th grade, it fell to my lot to define subservient. I said obsequious. The teacher had to look it up. True story.
 
:D excellent
 
10:46 AM
And I had to spell it for her, too.
 
It's funny looking back, when I was a child I didn't realise that teachers only knew what they knew - they weren't all knowing
 
By the way, I respect you for wanting to learn humor.
 
thanks, I have a long way to go
 
Study my works. Notice, for example, that "Hey, give him a break. That is proper Anglo-Saxon pronunciation of seal" employs the use of the -ea- combination of break*in a way that rhymes with *sale.
 
oh! I think I got that. good good
I tried to respond in a patronising tone, but might have hit the dead pan too hard
because anglo saxon times were long ago
 
10:51 AM
A lighter touch is best. That way smart people think you're funny and stupid people don't get offended.
Meh, I fucked up the italicization in my statement. And it's too late to edit it.
Study my works. Notice, for example, that "Hey, give him a break. That is proper Anglo-Saxon pronunciation of seal" employs the use of the -ea- combination of break in a way that rhymes with sale.
But, yeah, it's a big disappointment when you realize your teachers are basically not very bright.
Apr 6 '11 at 1:33, by Robusto
Did I ever tell you about the time I got kicked out of Religion class for using logic?
 
Well, logic is blasphemy!
or should that be blasphemous?
anyway - God doesn't make sense
is the following question one we want on EL&U?
> Does human parts has any other odd names such as adam's apple,wisdom teeth?
obviously cleaned up for grammar
it think it's not constructive
 
@MattЭллен Yes. Eleven. Eleven is an odd name. Also, preterite.
If I called my elbow preterite that would be exceedingly odd.
 
lol I shall respond more sympathetically, I think ;)
 
11:33 AM
0
Q: Is just "no." a valid sentence?

Pez CuckowI seem to remember (back in the day) being taught sentences must have an object and an action and that the shortest possible was something like "do it.". Can someone please formalise this and explain whether simply "no." is valid?

Gen ref.
Actually, we need a new close reason: "common sense".
 
I wanted to answer with just "no." in case it blew his mind
but that would have been mean
 
You couldn't have, in any case. There's a lower limit on how many characters go in an answer.
 
yeah, that too
 
It's a shame the limit isn't 3 - then you could have answered "Yes", but not answered "No"; proving that "No" is in fact not valid.
 
if that doesn't work for you here's the sauce
 
11:43 AM
@MattЭллен Which one is you?
 
I'm the one with his tail to the right
or left from our perspective
 
That doesn't identify you uniquely - there's more than one definition of "tail".
 
well, I'll keep my pseudonymity a little longer then ;)
 
Actually I kind of wonder what the point of that question is.
 
Isn't it a bummer when you answer a question for someone, then they tell you that they actually meant something completely different! Seems to happen to me a lot.
@RegDwight point of which question?
 
11:49 AM
The "no" question. It's just a matter of definition. If we say "no" is a sentence, then it's a sentence. If we say it's not, then it's not.
But what would one take away from it?
 
So the question is "what's the correct definition of sentence"
 
Suppose we agree "no" is not a sentence. Then what?
You stop saying "no"?
 
Then we can debate whether "Then what?" is a question.
 
you stop calling what you're saying a sentence?
 
@DavidWallace Yeah, but what's the point?
 
11:51 AM
There's supposed to be some point to these questions?
 
Of course not.
But I am supposed to be allowed to wonder.
I mean, those people asking to proofread a sentence, at least they have an actual problem.
 
and yet we send them away empty-handed.
 
Exactly.
 
It sounds like you want to create your own site, where expert proofreading is available for free. Then you can moderate something useful, instead of moderating ELU.
 
While this here is a purely philosophical question. At best.
@DavidWallace Ugh. Surely you jest.
 
11:53 AM
No, it's a question of what the word "sentence" means. It therefore constitutes general reference - any dictionary should have an answer, even if they don't all agree.
 
just because you say "no." does that make it a sentence? Are all fully formed thoughts that are uttered actual sentences?
 
According to Wikipdia they are.
But again, it's a matter of definition.
We can define a sentence as anything containing the letter Z.
 
I notice that according to wikipedia, a sentence must have one or more words. Can we debate what a word is?
 
when a baby says "ga" is that a fully formed thought?
 
11:55 AM
You'd have to ask the baby.
 
tricky at the best of times
 
Which is why it's easiest to define a sentence as anything between two full stops.
But again, all that doesn't matter.
 
Fine. Put a full stop at each end of the known universe, then everything's a sentence.
 
ok, I'll race you.
 
If a language doesn't have words (for example, it consists only of pictures, or is only a spoken language like Cantonese), does it still have sentences?
What about if a language doesn't use full stops?
 
11:57 AM
David. You still miss my point I'm afraid. Those questions are all mental masturbation.
So let's say we define sentence such that, I dunno, Russian ends up having none. Now what?
That doesn't change anything.
 
Au contraire mon frere. If we can sort out a consistent definition of "sentence", then we have some portion of a platform from which we can debate linguistics.
 
a sentence is anything that describe how someone is punished for a crime
 
When we study linguistics, we use terms like "phoneme" and "grapheme" and "word" and "sentence" and "idiolect". If we don't know what these words mean, then there's nothing to study.
 
Of course. But you are still dodging my question.
Let's say Russian has no morphemes.
Now what?
 
Then linguists who specialise in languages sans morphemes have something to do.
 
12:01 PM
See. That's what the Germans would call an Arbeitsbeschaffungsmaßnahme.
My point is precisely that linguists who study Russian will study it whether or not you agree with their definition of sentence, or cucumber for that matter.
 
@RegDwightѬſ道 Ah, now THAT'S mental masturbation!
 
@DavidWallace Well this whole discussion so far is nothing but, start to finish.
 
:3778259 All right, @RegDwight, what would you like to discuss then?
 
Nothing.
I didn't come here to discuss. I came here to wonder. And wonder I did.
 
12:04 PM
it's a very interesting concept, as Kit's starred comment points out
 
You'll have to be more specific, Matt.
 
yesterday, by KitFox
If no elephants have two tails, and one elephant has one more tail than no elephants, then an elephant has three tails.
 
Now I'm confused.
 
Do we need wonder-rooms as well as chat-rooms here?
 
so long as you conflate nothing with zero
 
12:07 PM
I've never conflated anything with zero in my life! Ergo, I conflate nothing with zero.
 
Aren't most human endeavours Arbeitsbeschaffungsmaßnahmen? (hope I've got the right plural, I was never very good at German plurals)
 
Cerberus insisted on discussing that once.
 
Well damn him to hell!
 
That discussion alone was the hugest Arbeitsetc. ever.
Ultimately everything is pointless. Even the universe as a whole.
 
12:11 PM
@RegDwight - I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that you don't have children.
 
I don't see a connection.
 
Well, it's easier to ignore the fact that the world will end one day, than it is to ignore the fact that one day, Reg Dwight will die. Therefore, if Reg Dwight had children, some part of him would appear to be immortal. Therefore, the pursuits of his life would cease to be pointless.
Or to put it another way, the universe is pointless until you sprog.
 
You assume that immortality has a point.
Not everyone will subscribe to that.
And ultimately nothing is immortal.
 
Somebody should really edit the definition of "sprog" on wiktionary. It's completely wrong.
 
It's a wiki.
 
12:16 PM
I don't assume that immortality has a point. I assume that the universe has a point to immortal beings. Feel free to argue that as there's no such thing as an immortal being, the universe is till pointless and I haven't proven anything.
 
You can edit it. Or let it be, because a couple years down the line every definition on Wiktionary will be wrong.
@DavidWallace That again is just a matter of definition. I can define the point of the universe to be immortality. I can also define it as playing with LEGO. Ultimately, the universe itself doesn't care.
 
@RegDwightѬſ道 maybe this is because we look at what we consider the past and how it creates the future, but really what we consider the past is the future and the future is the past and what we do is create the future, so we won't understand the point of the universe until we're at the beginning
 
@MattЭллен too much Douglas Adams huh?
 
I can never have too much!
 
@MattЭллен "Future" and "past" are terms we can freely redefine as well.
 
12:18 PM
If you redefine too many words, you'll stop being comprehensible.
 
and you'll end up in here
 
Which is what I am.
And so are you.
 
job done
 
Good!
Now let me play with LEGO.
 
OK, question for the site. Is "Which is what I am" a sentence?
 
12:19 PM
ok!
 
@DavidWallace what else is it? A raspberry?
 
Why does it need to be anything other than five words between quote marks?
 
It does not!!!
And that has been my entire point all along.
A sentence is just a label. For all I care the OP can put it onto a raspberry. More to the point, for all he cares he can do that.
 
It's about 1:20am here, and I need to go to work soon. Which means I need to go to bed now. Good night good people.
 
12:22 PM
Good night to you.
Well I'm afraid Matt's all alone now. Because LEGO.
 
tumbleweed blows through EL&U chat
 
'Ello @Matt.
Does this make sense to you: "Head of combacting criminal crimes"
Thank you. =\
 
12:40 PM
@Gigili "The Head of combating criminal crimes" sounds like a job title, and makes sense. However I'd drop criminal, because crimes are by their nature criminal. Then I'd change it to crime because it is more usual to use the mass noun version of crime in job titles.
of course, if you want to use the job title in a humorous context, then keep criminal, as the exaggeration is comical.
 
Could you proofread what I translated? It's short
 
Hello everybody, I have a question about English language. :)

I will be arrived at 5 O'Clock - does this sentence grammatically corrected?
 
@Anonymous I will arrive at 5 O'Clock
Or "I'll be there at 5 o'clock "
 
@Gigili I think that's fine. I assume "Notable to the president consular" is bureaucratic language for something
 
@MattЭллен Thank you so much.
 
12:54 PM
no trouble :)
 
1:08 PM
0
Q: "Community was here" vs "Community exist"

NoahWhat is the difference between the following two: I didn't know if this community exist I didn't know if this community was here

 
I know this is harsh, but I would like Noah to stop asking questions.
although "existed" vs "was here" could be an interesting question
 
 
1 hour later…
2:30 PM
@MattЭллен It would be more interesting if we were answering the question we see in our minds rather than the one he posed.
 
3:07 PM
0
Q: How to write the "plural of plural"?

LaurentI'm always confused how to write a "something of something else" in English, especially when plural is involved. For example, what would be the correct way to write the following sentences in English: There are three phones, each phone is of a different type: Three types of phones? Three phone...

That's two separate questions if you ask me. One of them a dupe.
 
3:46 PM
Plural of plural = plurals.
Problem solved.
 
Exactly my thinking @Mahnax :D
 
Ah, so I'm not alone, then.
Hurray!
 
Noman is an island. That's Mr. Noman
he floats about in the pacific
 
I see.
How's things?
 
They're alright. just finished washing up after lunch :) how are you?
 
3:53 PM
I'm okay. Not looking forward to work, though.
Eight hours.
 
:(
that's a lot of chicken
 
Actually, I'm probably on the TB side again.
(That's a good thing)
 
well, at least you have that!
do you take something along with you to do during the lulls?
 
No.
There is always some work that can get done.
 
3:55 PM
'Tis unfortunate.
 
indeed
 
Do you enjoy your work?
 
yes :)
 
Ah, that's good.
 
I am paid to solve puzzles
and I work in science
 
3:57 PM
I hope to enjoy mine someday as well. But I will never enjoy a fast food job.
 
and my boss is a great guy
 
I thought you were a software developer.
 
@Mahnax yeah :D
 
@MattЭллен Okay, so you solve puzzles by developing software then?
 
@Mahnax aye, the service industry is not an ideal place to work
@Mahnax yeah
 
3:58 PM
Cool! That sounds like fun.
 
the puzzler are in the form "how can you get this to happen"
 
Having a good boss is nice too.
 
it helps tremendously
my last boss was not a good boss, I assume he is a good person, but when it came to being a boss he couldn't get the level right. between 0 and micromanaging every flipping detail he could only be at extremes
 
I know people like that.
They want to micromanage everything, and when I tell them that this is a team effort and they can't control everything, then they stop wanting to help altogether. Not my boss, but peers.
 
exactly
 
4:01 PM
Well, I gotta run. Nice chatting, bye!
 
hope work is fun/bearable! cya @Mahnax
 
 
2 hours later…
5:36 PM
Holla.
 
hello :)
 
5:53 PM
JSB spewing nonsense again, eh?
 
When will he learn?
 
I can believe that guy, all talking like he knows stuff and shit.
 
You can't just prove things with science, you have to also agree with Ron Maimon
 
@KitFox Well he is writing a grammar for all of English.
 
No, I was talking about JSB.
 
5:57 PM
Ah.
But he is not writing a grammar for all of English!
 
He's being all uppity with his studying linguistics, like studying ever did anything for anyone.
[/joke]
 
We should totally drop @JSBngs and use jQuery.
 
omg ur rite.
Hi @Reg. I checked in and spent a bar.
This time change is totally messing with my head.
Now I'm going to play R&C with my son and his friend.
blows kisses
Here's something funny. My son's friend thinks the word is "tever" because my son doesn't pronounce "th" very well yet.
I figure it is a victory that he has now learned the word "tether."
OK really, bye!
 
 
2 hours later…
8:06 PM
I thought the plural of plural was pleurailles. From the French.
 
Jim
 
0
A: Is there an EBNF that covers all of English

Ron MaimonThe answer is best approximated as "yes", although there are some strictly non-context free components of English. The approximation of saying "English grammar is context free" is more true than false, in that the vast majority of the sentences you will encounter will be parsable by a simple EBNF...

Jesus holy Christ.
There he has posted the grammar for all of English.
Meanwhile elsewhere,
0
A: What's the difference between "shrouded with" and "covered with"?

fairouzthe difference between covered in blood and covered with blood

 
8:28 PM
@RegDwightѬſ道 Well ... I think you could fob that off on Writers.
 
Ah yes, Writers. The place Noah wants to move on to.
0
Q: Tense for second sentence in conditional statements

NoahI run into the following sitatution: If he had bothered Mike, he would have bothered him back so much that he would have forgotten about bothering anyone in his life again. Is 'would have' the correct format for the part in bold? Can we use other tenses in the same context?

 
@RegDwightѬſ道 TL;DR ... Also, is this The One Answer That Rules Them All?
 
@Robusto Lies.
You must mean TL;DMTSP
(Didn't manage to scroll past.)
 
@RegDwightѬſ道 Dunno what that means.
Ah.
 
@Robusto No it is not, as a matter of fact, because Ron has OVER 9000 more of this kind.
 
8:30 PM
Yes.
Let's start closing all questions as dupes of that one, even his own.
Then we can close that one and we can all go home.
 
OMG my first draw in WMT
but it's called a defeat :(
 
@MattЭллен You lose by not winning.
 
0
Q: covered with vs covered in, passive voice

fairouzIam doing a research about the difference in meaning between covered by, covered in, and covered with: for example: what is the difference between: covered with blood covered in blood the mountain was covered in snow or

 
waaahhhh that's not fair
 
There are no kiss-from-your-sister ties in WMT. Either you win or you go down in flames.
 
8:32 PM
Yeah he hangs up on us like that.
 
what is snow or?
 
@RegDwightѬſ道 Will this research be peer-reviewed, I wonder?
 
@Robusto It will be peer-reviewed or
 
Another movie I have saved but can't get to watching.
And I need free space, dammit.
 
8:35 PM
So watch. Or delete.
 
These are my options, yes.
 
You left out "do nothing" ...
 
I can even watch and delete, go figure!
 
And do nothing.
 
OMG
Funny how OMG is always an option.
The be all and end all or
 
8:36 PM
0
A: The next century will begin on the 1st of January 2001

TimLymingtonFuture tense is certainly used to express events that are going to happen, but you can say "The next century begins in 2101". Notice that this is only because you are treating it as a measurable quantity; you could, in theory, say ?This century begins in 2001 and ends in 2100, though it sounds o...

This answer is simply wrong. "Measurable quantity" has nothing to do with it.
@Reg: 129600 are pumping. Are we afraid? By that I mean, is it worth WBing?
 
I was going to ask something along those lines myself.
 
Is @Vitaly around?
@RegDwightѬſ道 You're the faction leader. You say go / no go. But do it quick.
 
I've got a full bar and I can refill. But I kind of vowed not to spend actual money on 7k wars when we have 47 people onboard.
 
I will WB.
@RegDwightѬſ道 So that means what, exactly?
 
That means that I, for one, will try hard to prevent myself from WBing.
But I will spend the one bar I have.
Well looks like they have woken up.
 
8:49 PM
Yeah. I Spent 10 WB, but looks like that will be wasted.
 
We used to score 8k when we were just ten people, with only five or six of us active.
We are almost 50 people now.
If every other person spends just two bars on Fight, that's already 10k.
 
Yeah. Lotta dead wood. Including me, lately.
 
Well, as per the calculation above, every other person can be dead as disco. And the rest spend just two bars on Fight. And we'd still win this one.
All I'm saying, I'm not paying for 40+ people sitting on their hands, and neither should you.
 
Too late. Now I'm spent, so I think I'll go do something else that doesn't feel so shitty.
 
Have fun.
 
 
1 hour later…
Jez
10:15 PM
I'm having a crisis of vocab tonight
what's a good word for a "squeaky wheel" or "person who shounds loudly"?
 

« first day (486 days earlier)      last day (4439 days later) »