📚｜english-questions

[swift briar]

You're most likely a c1 learner

I would consider myself to be funny in english

[mortal citrus]

Interesting

[swift briar]

I can be funny and create puns if i want, cuz i can use the language creatively

[safe chasm]

me too

[mortal citrus]

Yess

[swift briar]

Think about it like that, when u go to work everyday for 10+ years you begin to get accustomed to it to the point of finding ways to "cheese it" or manipulate it.

While this isn't the most reliable reason but a very strong inductor

Indicator*

[cerulean tusk]

yea, "have a cow" means to get upset. most famously used by Bart Simpson, "dont have a cow man"
it doesnt really fit with the sentence of seeing the buildings unless you were upset because it disturbs the natural beauty of a beach or something like that...

[mortal citrus]

I need to immerse myself more in the language

Which is quite hard to do since i live in an english-speaking country

i wanna go to paris lol

[swift briar]

I hope you reach your desired level, cuz i feel for you, i know your struggles

[mortal citrus]

Gotta do a little bit every day even when u r unmotivated

[swift briar]

I love when people work so hard to reach a certain height

[flat rune]

I think the easiest way to break the barrier and move on to the more advanced levels is through participating in more literate/fictional writing. I used to do a lot of literate roleplay where I would create custom characters with different personalities etc and interact with other people

[mortal citrus]

Learning another language is probably one of the hardest things to do

[flat rune]

oops I think I @ by accident mb

[swift briar]

I would say it's even harder than math

[mortal citrus]

It is

I could argue with you on that

(On the same argument ofc)

[swift briar]

You most definitely could lmao

[flat rune]

you usually say that when you’re opposing something

not if you agree

[swift briar]

One of my friends suggested that writing your own diary is also very useful

You'll get to learn how to be more expressive

[safe chasm]

it is too hard to start learning english

[mortal citrus]

Whoops😅

[swift briar]

Yes

[mortal citrus]

Nice spotting

[flat rune]

yeah that’s one thing, but when you’re writing in a fictional environment you’re exposed to more words that you will likely never use in your diary.

[swift briar]

True that

[mortal citrus]

Lol

[swift briar]

I think describing a photo is also very useful

[flat rune]

So it expands your vocabulary. And trying to act into different characters etc can help you understand the nuances of the language

[mortal citrus]

Omg im having a brain fart

[mortal citrus]

Oh yes

Also talking to yourself lmao

[swift briar]

It's fine i understood what you said from the beginning lol

[safe chasm]

i don't know where to start

[mortal citrus]

Yeah i had to clarify 😂

[swift briar]

Basics

I see a lot of people misuse "A, AT, ON, IN, AN,"

[mortal citrus]

that’s quite common

[swift briar]

It's a good start

[mortal citrus]

and a pain

for learners

I think i answered a question regarding “in” and “on”

[swift briar]

It's A good start TO start learning English

[mortal citrus]

Lmao

[swift briar]

Because they ARE very important

[cerulean tusk]

prepositions and articles are the most advanced and technical aspects of our language. its a struggle even for c2 level students

[dense oasis]

in reality levels like this do not exist, all of this is just a bunch of labels we conceived, we can not really accurately measure someone's language skills because they vary so much

[mortal citrus]

Yep

[swift briar]

https://youtu.be/sN5H7YTo_IQ

This is a very good video

[mortal citrus]

I love how my native language trips me up sometimes😂

[swift briar]

Just learning prepositions alone could make you sound so much better already

[mortal citrus]

#languages

#iloveenglish

[swift briar]

Idk why but i hate the term "mother tongue"

[mortal citrus]

i never say that

but that’s personal preference

[dense oasis]

i hate this too, but i associate word "mother" with something very negative

[swift briar]

I hate using mother to refer to things being "core"

Or main

[cerulean tusk]

this is true but also unrealistic because we dont typically have fictional conversations. a diary is more useful because it deals with reality. when i was in elementary school, the teachers for 2-3 years had the students keep a diary. its a fantastic exercise!

[mortal citrus]

Ooh yes

[swift briar]

Mother tongue, mother board

[mortal citrus]

I think it’s mostly for building vocabulary but thats about it

[dense oasis]

hmm kinda, like i do a bit too, but for me its the worst when i use this word meaning a person like a family member

and there is no alternative

almost

[mortal citrus]

When having spoken conversations it’ll be quite informal

[swift briar]

I think my favorite expression or idiom (i can't tell them apart) is "you're on thin ice"

[mortal citrus]

Classic

Idk what mine is

[swift briar]

Fenti watch your self..you're on thin ice

[mortal citrus]

😭

[swift briar]

Sorry for using you as an example that was rude

[mortal citrus]

I should discover my fav one

[swift briar]

[mortal citrus]

Omg my favourite simile

is

“red as a beetroot”

[swift briar]

Never heard that before

What does it mean

[mortal citrus]

having a very red face, for example because you are very hot or very embarrassed.

[swift briar]

You tell that to a person who's shy ?

[dense oasis]

really? i thought it was just my native langauge and english didnt have this

[mortal citrus]

Well only if their face is very red

[swift briar]

Im not white enough for that

[mortal citrus]

😭

[mortal citrus]

Oh

[swift briar]

I think an expression that we use in my culture is...

Idk what's the best translation but it's something along the line of

May god blacken your face lol

[mortal citrus]

Hm

[dense oasis]

this would be insanely rude in mine

[swift briar]

If you've done something bad or embarrassing

They say that

[mortal citrus]

May god punish you maybe ?

Idk

[swift briar]

No

[mortal citrus]

That sounds quite

impactful

if i say so myself

[swift briar]

Black faces in my culture means "bad"

Note: it's not race just the color black being "bad"

[mortal citrus]

Yeah

French has got some weird expressions ..

And the english translation cant translate

[swift briar]

I don't think there's a precise translation to it though, due to the limitation of english

[dense oasis]

in mine there is a special symbol, it is a "black soup", ||czarna polewka in Polish||, it is considered that in the past, if a future partner wanted to reject their future marriage material, they were supposed to give them that soup and that meant rejection in love

[mortal citrus]

Oh my

[swift briar]

I think one of the odd expressions would be "I'm feeling blue"

[mortal citrus]

Oh

[swift briar]

Using colors to refer to something

[mortal citrus]

Yes

[swift briar]

It doesn't make a lot of sense

But i understand their "logic"

[dense oasis]

where are you from

[mortal citrus]

This is something i don’t do

[swift briar]

I tried to translate my expression and this is what i got lol

May God ennoble his face !

Lol

[mortal citrus]

Lmao

[swift briar]

The middle east

My friend thought that i was polish/Russian

[mortal citrus]

💀

[swift briar]

When he listened to my accent

[supple holly]

that's me. I am the friend

[dense oasis]

you dont sound polish at all, i remember hearing you speak

in some recording

and russian even less

[mortal citrus]

What a great guess

[swift briar]

Yes

[mortal citrus]

Lol

[swift briar]

He has appeared

[supple holly]

I'm always here

[mortal citrus]

Yes

Always lurking

Checking to see if everyone’s responses are correct

[swift briar]

I don't know if i should be scared or happy about that

[supple holly]

I am just a little Beginner

[mortal citrus]

No

[swift briar]

Well mr "beginner" why don't you "begin" being a non beginner

[mortal citrus]

U r more than that

[mortal citrus]

Damn

[swift briar]

I can send you his C2+ voice msgs

[mortal citrus]

Lmaoo

[swift briar]

(Jk)

[mortal citrus]

Anyways i’ll leave u two english enthusiasts i gotta head to bed gn !

[supple holly]

goodnight Fenti

[swift briar]

That's an example of using the language creatively

[swift briar]

Night sleepy bird

[trail slate]

“what language did you translate it from?”
✅ or ❌?

[supple holly]

✅

I would use "which" instead of "what" though

[blissful kestrel]

I am back

[blissful kestrel]

CAN u give me the differences between as and when

[supple holly]

"As" has more meanings/usages

But if you're talking about the meaning "something happening at the same time as something else", both can be used

Short answer: they're the same in your case

[blissful kestrel]

thank u Kimcheese

[swift briar]

True

Since there's a selection of languages to pick from saying "which" makes more sense

But then again saying what is not wrong too

What language do you speak.

[supple holly]

English

[swift briar]

If you really wanna be picky and precise then "which" is more correct

[scenic stirrup]

May I know the meaning of on their side here in this sentence: I think that was explicitly the primary reason on their side.

[flat rune]

"I think you need to check your facts before posting them" please say me another version for more native sound

[last marsh]

Which makes more sence

[whole dagger]

sounds great

[dense oasis]

it means a reason for them

from their perspective, it was a reason

[rotund swift]

whats the meaning of "not really no"?

[dense oasis]

id need more context, on its own it could mean the same thing as "probably yes" because since "not really" is before "no", then it negates it

[rotund swift]

confused

[dense oasis]

"not really yes" = possibly/probably no
"not really no" = possibly/probably yes

[rotund swift]

damn

fr

i just asked someone that did i get a change to talk with you

he replied as "not really no"

[dense oasis]

like it depends, because it could as well be just "no, really no", but some people type it in this order

id be confused too

[rotund swift]

[dense oasis]

like is it "not really no", or is it "not really, no", because the meaning is the opposite lol

[rotund swift]

thanks

[blissful kestrel]

Keep doing /keep on doing

differences

Go on doing /go on to do

who is free to give their explainations? Thanks

[drifting steeple]

go on doing = continue to do (something), go on to do = start to do (something)

[drifting steeple]

no difference

[barren hawk]

Hey, does someone know the word "hurled" ?

[drifting steeple]

it means to throw something (past tense)

[flat rune]

Hallo

[drifting steeple]

:O its 47

[flat rune]

Its ummmm

ferretwhiskers

[drifting steeple]

LOL

[flat rune]

[barren hawk]

Thanks, how would you use it ?

[drifting steeple]

"he hurled a rock at me" = "he threw a rock at me"

[drifting steeple]

hurled usually means with great power though, so you shouldn't say "he softly hurled a rock at me"

[barren hawk]

Oh yes I see the nuance, thanks for your help !

And btw, I don't understand the difference between give in and give out, could you explain me ?

It's hard to get acquainted with all these slight differences in use of words

[drifting steeple]

"give in to your urges" = "succumb to your urges" = you do what your urges want. "her lungs gave out on her" = her lungs stopped working

[barren hawk]

ohhh I seeee, thanks you so much !

[drifting steeple]

of course

[tidal field]

Is the phrase 'feeling blue' means 'feeling sad/being alone' or there's different meaning of this?

[drifting steeple]

it usually just means feeling sad

[wild halo]

A medical term lmao

[wooden yacht]

pneumon- = lung
ultra- = very
microscopic = only visible at a very small scale
silicon = an element (Si)
volcan- = from a volcano
coni- = dust
-osis = suffix for diseases/conditions

so literally "a lung disease caused by microscopic silicon dust from a volcano"

the number of times it's genuinely been used is about the same as the number of times you'd want to genuinely describe that situation

[flat rune]

pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is a kind of disease.

[swift briar]

https://tenor.com/view/cat-keyboard-gif-7382725

^ the person who came up with the name

[mortal citrus]

LOL

[thorny viper]

there is also Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, a fear of long words

But the actual longest word is a monstrosity, file below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titin Titin is a protein in humans.

there are spaces for every new line, it is not another word

[whole dagger]

not really a word but

[flat rune]

but what does it mean?

[thorny viper]

According to wikipedia, Titin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TTN gene.

[trail slate]

“My flying anxiety has started to kick in”
Does it make sense?

[sick talon]

What is meant by "by any chance"?

[mortal citrus]

Not really. I would just say “My anxiety started to kick in”. If you wanted to add an adjective say “My mild/severe anxiety started to kick in” since diagnoses can come with either mild or severe.

[swift briar]

@mortal citrus i know what agriculture is but i want your explanation

If you'd be so kind

[mortal citrus]

Agriculture is like a broad term to describe the cultivation/farming of crops and livestock for food production and other products

[swift briar]

By any possibility, or by any way.

[swift briar]

So farming is PART of agriculture

Ok, im dumb then

Lol

[mortal citrus]

Yep

[swift briar]

Thanks for clearing that out

[mortal citrus]

Ofc

[sick talon]

Can you example it in a sentence?

[swift briar]

Do you have more soda by any chance ?

Do you think you can squeeze time in by any chance ?

Do you have more pills by any chance

Were you looking for me by any chance ?

[sick talon]

Can I use "by any chance" in a asking possibility question?

Eg: Can I be your friend by any chance?

[swift briar]

May i ask you by any chance ?

[swift briar]

Correct

[sick talon]

So could I abuse that phrase in evey question?

[swift briar]

If you think that something is unlikely or improbable you say "by any chance" because it feels like it's a slim "possibility"

[sick talon]

To make my question more polite

[swift briar]

If someone is busy and you know that he is busy saying "by any chance" makes more sense since it's possible that he may have a chance to talk to you

Etc

[sick talon]

Oh

[swift briar]

That also

It can be used to sound more polite yes

When you talk to your manager,

Mr james are you gonna be available tomorrow by any chance to discuss my plans.

[sick talon]

I get it now

Thank you!

[swift briar]

You're welcome

[sick talon]

@swift briar Does the phrase "by any chance" change the meaning of the sentence with or without it

[swift briar]

I don't think i understand what you mean

[sick talon]

hold on

[sick talon]

I fixed

[swift briar]

If you mean by adding it or removing it from a sentence then yeah

It can change

Obviously

[trail slate]

I mean my flight anxiety

[mortal citrus]

Oh, in that case, that’s fine.

“My flight anxiety” works better than “My flying anxiety”.

[sick talon]

Why it can change the meaning?

[swift briar]

Because there's a chance

And if you remove that you're no longer asking if there's a chance

[sick talon]

I see, I get it now

[swift briar]

@mortal citrus haven't heard from you in a while, i got a question for you

What's the difference between

Has been
Had been
Have been

And i want an applicable example

Doesn't have to be applicable, just a correct example lol

[mortal citrus]

Okay give me one moment

[swift briar]

@mortal citrus tyt mr

Mr/miss what pronouns you go by

[mortal citrus]

Let me start with this.

I have been
You have been
It/She/He has been
We have been
They have been

So have been and has been are actually the same thing, but used with different pronouns (called conjugations). They’re both called the present perfect continuous.

“I have been feeling better” “She/he/it has been feeling better”

“Had been” is past perfect continuous and can be used like this:

“I had been following him after he texted me”

Remember that it’s a continuous event and in the past.

Is that clear lol

[swift briar]

Yes

[swift briar]

Can you give me more examples on "had been"

[mortal citrus]

Sure

“We had been trying to open the door for five minutes when Jane found her key”

[swift briar]

What about we have been

In that sentence

What would it mean ?

We have been (continuous) ?

We have been trying to open the door

[mortal citrus]

Yep

Continuing action

Sorry for the late response

[mortal citrus]

in the present

[swift briar]

It's all good ^-^, your contribution is what mattered

Thank you young lad

And also

[swift briar]

I shouldnt be your top priority, your life is more important so don't be sorry.

[dense oasis]

i kinda got confused when I saw your question, because it seems kinda, well, self-explanatory but

but like

has been/have been + verb with ing = present perfect continuous

had been + verb with ing = past perfect continuous

[swift briar]

I wasn't necessarily asking to learn lol

I'm a grown man, i can google stuff to learn what i need, i was just interested in his explanation

[dense oasis]

ah okay makes sense

[swift briar]

Also black cat how come you're intermediate ?

You should be fluent

[dense oasis]

when i speak i am intermediate

[swift briar]

Or a native

[swift briar]

Bulls**t

Lol

[dense oasis]

but when i write, read, or listen, am better i guess

[swift briar]

You're lying

Im sure u speak better than natives

You're just being modest

[dense oasis]

well, i guess am flattered, and also you are too

[swift briar]

I admire yhat

[dense oasis]

not flattered but

[dense oasis]

better than natives

[swift briar]

Nah, just you bruh

Lol

I speak England

[dense oasis]

you get additional fluency points cuz you have a normal voice, when i sound like a teenager, lol

[mortal citrus]

I’m back how’s everyobe

everyone

[swift briar]

@dense oasis #🗒｜pronunciation

Time to judge you

[mortal citrus]

your grammar is great

[swift briar]

[dense oasis]

ive posted two recordings already i think, one at judge my accent, other one probably here

nothing serious tho, very short stuff

[swift briar]

Mind re-posting it or directing me to it

^-^

[dense oasis]

hm ok

[swift briar]

Short but filled with greatness

[swift briar]

Hello back im front im doing great what about u ? Hows the weather going for you ?

Is it spicy outside ?

Or just chilly

[dense oasis]

#🧠｜serious-chat message second one

#🗒｜pronunciation message first one

[mortal citrus]

Chilly

[mortal citrus]

Whos side

@dense oasis ur side

[dense oasis]

what

[swift briar]

Bruh

You're good

Just because you have an accent it doesn't mean your bad

[mortal citrus]

True

[swift briar]

My teacher was an African guy but he spoke perfect English

Very comprehensible

And easy to follow

[dense oasis]

you're good too

[dense oasis]

so is yours

oh wait

you're native

[swift briar]

LMAO

[swift briar]

No he's my student

I taught him nativity

[dense oasis]

i think being native would possible be viable explanation for his perfect grammar

but

am not sure about this one

[mortal citrus]

Oh ty

[mortal citrus]

😭

[swift briar]

Be A viable explanation

[mortal citrus]

oooh viable

[swift briar]

[dense oasis]

didnt i put a there

oh wow i didnt

[swift briar]

It's fine

[dense oasis]

thanks, i heard it in my head, but my fingers werent quick enough to reach the A key

[swift briar]

You'll police me one day

People forget

[mortal citrus]

Making mistakes is amazing

Keep making them

(not on purpose)

[swift briar]

Depends on the severity lol

HIGHLY depends on that

[mortal citrus]

At least u can learn from them (hopefully)

Unless it’s extremelt severe

extremely

[swift briar]

Extremelt yes, I'll use that to explain my weather

[dense oasis]

"ok me will made an mistakes", i think this sentence would be pleasing for you, if you like people who make a lot of mistakes that much

[mortal citrus]

That’s

BAHDHWHD

Very pleasing

[dense oasis]

its not the worst tho, like the word order matches

[swift briar]

https://tenor.com/view/hindu-shuffle-world-xm-card-manipulation-shuffle-cards-gif-16263609

[dense oasis]

it should have been something like "ok mistakes will made an me"

[swift briar]

^ you trying to come up with a bad sentence

You had to shuffle your cards and mix your wide range of vocabulary

[dense oasis]

sometimes coming up with a bad grammar is harder than coming up with the correct one

[swift briar]

To come up with it

[swift briar]

I think the correct way of saying what you said there is just grammer without the A

Cuz grammer is a single thing

(I would like to get policed on that if my logic is incorrect)

@mortal citrus

[dense oasis]

sounds right but you spelled it "grammer" and it was supposed to be "grammar"

but like

"a" is used for singular nouns

thats why i used it

[swift briar]

You're actually right, i didn't even realize that

I thought grammer is grammar lol

[mortal citrus]

Oh

[swift briar]

Interesting catch

[mortal citrus]

Grammar

[dense oasis]

@mortal citrus does this sentence sound fine or id have to get rid of the A

[swift briar]

Black just schooled me and he claims that he's intermediate, don't believe him

Lol

[mortal citrus]

without the “a”

[dense oasis]

okay

thanks

[marble whale]

Hi guys, I have a question.
Can you use lo-fi to describe a old thing that is valued by you as something precious?

For example, I have a good old lo-fi ice house instead of a fridge.

[dense oasis]

i only know this word due to the genre of music

[swift briar]

So i was correct ?

[mortal citrus]

Yeah it doesn’t need the “a”

[mortal citrus]

That doesn’t really make sense

[swift briar]

I relied on my instinct for that lol

My iNtuition* sorry

I'm a very intuitive person

[cerulean tusk]

lofi means low fidelity... its a musical term exclusively

[mortal citrus]

“Vintage” sounds better or even “antique”

[swift briar]

Lofi as in low profile?

[mortal citrus]

Yeah, exclusive to music

[swift briar]

Like an acronym

[dense oasis]

go with ancient, they're gonna think the guy lives in a tomb in egypt

[mortal citrus]

Lmaoo

[dense oasis]

i wanted to answer to this

[mortal citrus]

😭

[cerulean tusk]

no... it pertains to the detail or quality of the music

[mortal citrus]

lo-fi music is commonly used with relaxing music for studying its nice

[cerulean tusk]

thats not a correct use of the word. someone is trying to hard to be hip

[swift briar]

If i recall is vintage a music box ?

[mortal citrus]

This sounds quite weird

[dense oasis]

it means old

[swift briar]

Oh

Right

[mortal citrus]

Adjective

[mortal citrus]

You can call a music box vintage

🥰

[mortal citrus]

Oh god

[swift briar]

Lol

[mortal citrus]

thats creepy

[swift briar]

Is it safe to call that vintage ?

Lol

[mortal citrus]

nah that’s just creepy

[cerulean tusk]

i know the song that box plays...haha my grandma had one with a bird

[dense oasis]

thats a beautiful silhouette

its

exquisite

not creepy

[mortal citrus]

I wouldn’t say beautiful

[marble whale]

That was a clock, with a bird

[mortal citrus]

😂

[swift briar]

Do yall call it vintage, antique or just a music box

[dense oasis]

oh, its beauteous

my bad

[mortal citrus]

Bahdhwhdh

[mortal citrus]

You can call it antique

or vintage

😌

[marble whale]

I call it a victorian era music box.

[lean storm]

guys which usage is true?
at a basketball game or in a basketball game?

[mortal citrus]

at a basketball game

Well..

[cerulean tusk]

well, music box is vintage or an antique thing by definition... they aren't made anymore

[mortal citrus]

“I’m at a basketball game” (implies you’re not playing it but watching”

So say this ^

[cerulean tusk]

if you go to an audio store and ask for a music box now... they will probably laugh

[mortal citrus]

Lol

[dense oasis]

@mortal citrus is it "takeaway" or "take-out", like the option to buy food and take it outside the shop

lol

[mortal citrus]

Both

I say “takeaway” tho

[marble whale]

You can order one on Amazon, or some other place online.

[mortal citrus]

“I would like the food for takeaway please”

[swift briar]

What if im old fashion ?

[cerulean tusk]

cool.

[marble whale]

Are mango plants trees, or some grassy plants?

[cerulean tusk]

its a tree

[marble whale]

So, I got a mango tree in a pot.

[cerulean tusk]

mango tree

nice

[marble whale]

It's a seedling yet.

[cerulean tusk]

it's still a seedling

[dense oasis]

shouldnt it be "old-fashioned"

[cerulean tusk]

the dashes are not so much a big deal these days. now you can use it if you want but the rule is kinda dead

[swift briar]

Old fashion, old fashioned both are correct

[dense oasis]

hmmm

makes sense

[cerulean tusk]

haha

[swift briar]

But in my context i think fashion makes more sense

[cerulean tusk]

you forgot to add a dash to one of them

hah

[mortal citrus]

dash to add a dash

hah

[swift briar]

But im not dashie

[dense oasis]

you're a hyphen

[mortal citrus]

rainbow dash

[swift briar]

What did you just call me ?

[cerulean tusk]

ha

[dense oasis]

a hyphen

if you're not a dash

[swift briar]

U silly

Lol

[mortal citrus]

Round 1 fightt

[dense oasis]

would you like to be a colon, semicolon, asterix, caret, asperand, or maybe an ampersand?

[mortal citrus]

asterix

[swift briar]

I love fighting games

[swift briar]

I don't know what any of these mean lol

So none

[mortal citrus]

ampersand weird

[dense oasis]

i know them only cuz of coding, like ive never seen any of these irl

[swift briar]

Well obviously, you can't physically see words

[mortal citrus]

english symbols weird

[dense oasis]

you're right, they are invisible

[mortal citrus]

english is invisible

[cerulean tusk]

carets are gross

[swift briar]

Who invisibled it

[mortal citrus]

Me

[cerulean tusk]

asterisk

[swift briar]

Y

[swift briar]

What does it mean

[dense oasis]

in my native @ is called "a monkey", so before i knew that this sign is read as "at", i used to read mail adresses like [e-mail] as ``me-monkey-gmail-dot-com"

[mortal citrus]

wait is that the spelling

bahshwhdh

[mortal citrus]

💀

[dense oasis]

it was years ago but

i love it

[swift briar]

Oh

I just call it a star

Lol

[mortal citrus]

Better than asterisk

Lol

[dense oasis]

same as ^ is not "a hat", but a caret

[swift briar]

Asterisk sounds unnecessarily complicated

[mortal citrus]

Fr

[swift briar]

Just call it a star

Or a spikey dot

[cerulean tusk]

i was taught to call it star when i was a kid cause it was easier.

[mortal citrus]

Just call it irelevant

[dense oasis]

irrelevant

or not

[mortal citrus]

It is irrelevant

typo

[swift briar]

I can't believe you just said that irrelevant irrelevant irrelevant

[mortal citrus]

Lol

Omggg

[swift briar]

Lol

[dense oasis]

woah i corrected a native

[mortal citrus]

Guyss typooo😒

[dense oasis]

lmfao

[mortal citrus]

😂

[swift briar]

Your typo is irrelevant

[mortal citrus]

It is

i also blame the time

its late

[swift briar]

You are more relevant than your typo

[mortal citrus]

Yess

Guys i’m so perfect

❤️

[swift briar]

I blame my life for being fluent in 22 languagez

[mortal citrus]

loll

[swift briar]

For what

[mortal citrus]

at not being perfect

Ha

Be perfect at not being perfect

[dense oasis]

no, because sometimes the language has to be very specific, like when i say "put it into brackets" then someone may type something as [word] or {word} or (word), when it has to be a specific one of them, otherwise the code does not work but i guess normal people dont care about these nerdy details lol

[swift briar]

But that makes you imperfect²

[mortal citrus]

No

cuz ur perfect at it

Hehehe

[mortal citrus]

square brackets >

[swift briar]

I personally dont even know what these symbols mean

( & * ^

[mortal citrus]

I think its called square

[swift briar]

In my own language

I'm not a computer scientist or whatever you call'em

Not majored in computer science

Lol

[mortal citrus]

I major in being imperfect

Okay let me stop

[swift briar]

LMAO

Late hours kicking in ?

[mortal citrus]

Lmao

[swift briar]

What time is it for you fenti and where you from again

[mortal citrus]

10:32 PM

australia

[swift briar]

Im sorry if you told me and i forgot

[dense oasis]

in human language ive no idea, for me * means "select every element in the markup", && means "and", ^ means "get out one level above the current nesting", and ( means "am opening a function in css"

[swift briar]

My brain isn't wide enough to fit everything in

[mortal citrus]

Now u can track down my exact location

[swift briar]

I'm on it

[mortal citrus]

Perfect

[cerulean tusk]

creepy

[mortal citrus]

ur next

Ha

[swift briar]

Honestly no offense but i think im the one who should be scared of u

[cerulean tusk]

ha, good luck with that

[mortal citrus]

thank u

[swift briar]

You live among snakes n spiders

[mortal citrus]

I do

[swift briar]

You're built different

[mortal citrus]

And look at me now

still here

[swift briar]

I can't handle your environment

[mortal citrus]

helping people with english while surviving

[cerulean tusk]

dont forget the dingos

[mortal citrus]

Lol

[swift briar]

https://tenor.com/view/twd-the-walking-dead-walking-dead-what-andrew-lincoln-gif-8457894

You rn

[dense oasis]

you're either surviving or speaking english, like there is no middle ground, if you speak english then this means you're slowly stopping your survival and beginning to dig your own crave

grave

lmfao

[mortal citrus]

I put answering a question before my life

[cerulean tusk]

typos are hilarious

[mortal citrus]

Bahshshd

Crave

[swift briar]

Crave your own grave

[mortal citrus]

Lmaoo

[dense oasis]

llmfao

see

i can do better

i just gotta look away from the keyboard for half a econd

[cerulean tusk]

ha

[swift briar]

Im sorry for picking on you black cat im only doing that because i know for a fact that you are very good at english, you are very flexible and creative in it.

That's why i pick on u

[mortal citrus]

@dense oasis i will pick on u too

Make sure everything u say

is perfect

perfect english

including commas

I will nitpick everything

[swift briar]

Why your so serious ?

[dense oasis]

you guys are caring about me so much, like i really feel so admired, and loved, and appreciated, no one has ever cared about me so much, other than my cat

...lol

[mortal citrus]

Omg cats are beautiful

[mortal citrus]

No

[dense oasis]

*you're

[swift briar]

Oi, don't make me feel sentimental

[mortal citrus]

Wait r u saying

“Why are you so serious?”

😧

Lets get serious

[swift briar]

Nuh am saying y your so srs

[mortal citrus]

Me vs Authentic English

[dense oasis]

may the warfare commence!

[swift briar]

Weight age height ?

[mortal citrus]

10ft

Age is 78

[cerulean tusk]

ha

[mortal citrus]

Height is 89

Cm

Be afraid

[dense oasis]

you're so tall, am like, 87

[mortal citrus]

omggg

my weight is 2kg

[swift briar]

HUH ? you're 10ft and 89cm tall as well ?

Loooool

[serene plinth]

Omgggg

[mortal citrus]

Yep

[mortal citrus]

❤️

[swift briar]

What is it 10ft or 89cm

Lol

Pick 1

[mortal citrus]

idk im confusing u

[serene plinth]

Fenti is just elastic

[cerulean tusk]

2kg would just be hands typing on the keyboard

[swift briar]

I think you're confusing yourself more than anything

Lol

[mortal citrus]

elastigirl heheh

[mortal citrus]

Nah

Thats u

Heheh

#gaslight

[dense oasis]

i disagree, because the correct way of measuring units like this is is not kilograms, or pounds, it is "free eagles per hotdogs with legal firearms"

[mortal citrus]

Oh damn

[serene plinth]

Ok guys enough chit chat

Please go to a chatting channel now

[dense oasis]

yes mom, i apologize

[mortal citrus]

I have an English question

[swift briar]

Yes mom...

[swift briar]

Does it require an English answer ?

[mortal citrus]

Yes, thanks for answering

[dense oasis]

how can i help you?

[swift briar]

....

Well played fenti...

Anyway head to sleep fenti and we shall stop chit chatting to not disturb others.

[swift briar]

What's the difference between maintaining and preserving

When should i use "preserve" in a sentence

[dense oasis]

maintain means to keep it and improve it/make fixes so it doesnt break, preserve means do not change anything and keep it as it is for the future

for example

"Maintenance of the software is included in the bill" = the developers will make sure that bugs will be fixed, they will maintain this

[swift briar]

You gotta preserve food ?

[dense oasis]

yes

[dense oasis]

tbh you gave probably the best example for the preserve anyway so

[swift briar]

I know what Maintain means

Just don't know when to use preserve

Cuz both of them mean the same thing

[dense oasis]

they dont

preserve implies that you dont touch it, you keep it, maintain means you change it if the change is needed so it doesnt break

[swift briar]

To preserve something is to maintain its original shape lol

[flat rune]

LMAO

[dense oasis]

if someone told me that a country maintains its peace, then id think the authorities do something to reinforce that peace, but if i were told that a country is peaceful, it preserves the peace, then id think it naturally happens cuz the population is so well-behaved

https://hinative.com/questions/15041213

[swift briar]

Just a slight difference

But overall very close

Preserve food don't waste it

We gotta maintain our supplies,they're running out fast.

Hmm

[serene plinth]

We don't normally say preserve peace do we?

The only context that comes to my mind is umm after a war....

[swift briar]

We keep peace

[dense oasis]

we dont, because there is no peace in this world

and has never been

[swift briar]

Regardless

I'm still slightly confused

I know what they both mean

Just not fully confident in using them in a conversation

[serene plinth]

Like umm after some tough times, the two parties came to a negotiation and sought peace. If it's maintained then we can say the peace has been preserved

Or else preserving peace sounds weird...

[swift briar]

I'm fairly confident in "maintain" but not "preserve"

[dense oasis]

right few hundred km from me there are people being killed right now, i think it is enough of a reason why preserve a peace is something that is normally said these days

[swift briar]

Sought peace ?

[serene plinth]

I mean to preserve something, you need to know its original state ... Which doesn't always work for an intangible thing like peace

[serene plinth]

Yeah, I mean that's what you do while Negotiating right? You seek for peace and harmony

[swift briar]

On a good day.

[serene plinth]

Well we're discussing grammar and English here

[swift briar]

Anyhow

Can you provide more examples on preserving ?

[serene plinth]

Preserve is something when you know it from a certain point and try to retain that state as time passes

[barren hawk]

Everything depends on the context here

[serene plinth]

For example. You've received a letter. Now you want to keep it like that for the rest of your life... That's preserving

You preserve it by maintaining it properly

[swift briar]

I know the concept of preserving, i just want it in a sentence

Is what i initially meant

[dense oasis]

i usually just google stuff in that case

[swift briar]

^-^

[barren hawk]

This natural park can be preserved by enhancing biodiversity.

[swift briar]

Yes, but i was dissatisfied

With the answers

[serene plinth]

The letters I'd received from my mother have all been preserved and kept

[serene plinth]

@swift briar does this work for you?

[barren hawk]

This building can be maintained by using great foundations.

For real, you don't preserve what you maintain. And it works conversely.

[swift briar]

Shouldn't it be "the letters I received" ?

[serene plinth]

Styling choices. Both are correct imo

A lot owes to dialect and the style it follows

[swift briar]

I'd received is very harsh on my mouth, lots of Ds

[serene plinth]

Skill issues tbh

[dense oasis]

pretty easy to pronounce

[swift briar]

LMAO

[dense oasis]

yeah

[swift briar]

Fair enough

[swift briar]

Depends on your background

[dense oasis]

my native is worse

lol

[swift briar]

Regardless thanks @dense oasis and @serene plinth

You 2 are amazing and helpful as usual

[serene plinth]

That's my job : )

[dense oasis]

i dont think so but thank you

[swift briar]

What about integral

Is it interchangeable ?

[dense oasis]

crucial part of something that can not be dislodged, removed from it

[swift briar]

He's an important person
He's an integral person
He's an essential person

Essential member
An integral member
An important member*

[dense oasis]

important seems less serious than integral

cuz

if my processor is an integral part of my pc, then i cant just pull it out, its gonna break

[swift briar]

Yeah

It's like they all mean the same thing to an extinct

But you gotta be careful

Cuz some put more emphasis

[dense oasis]

they have different usecases sometimes i think, but, depends on the context

[swift briar]

On it

[swift briar]

Important is important but it's not essential

It's important to make money but it's not essential

It's only essential if you're gonna die without jt

Water and food are essential

Water and food are important for survival

[dense oasis]

"she is important for me" = she somehow engages in my life so much that i feel like she is useful, needed for me
"she is an integral part of me" = she is probably my wife i guess, it sounds very serious
"she is essential for me" = she is sooo needed for something

[swift briar]

I feel like she's essential for me is very extreme

[dense oasis]

yeah

like

there should be a reason why she is

to do something maybe

[swift briar]

It's kinda like...

Big, gaint, humongous, massive

[dense oasis]

tremendous, voluminous, etc

[swift briar]

This guy isn't just big... he's a gaint

[dense oasis]

he is T H I C C

nah not really

[swift briar]

Voluminous ? Lol

I've never heard someone say that

[dense oasis]

like very very deep and big

i probably heard it being used while describing a bag

[swift briar]

[dense oasis]

in some book

[dense oasis]

saw it actually

[swift briar]

Deep and big ?

Spontaneously

🤔

[dense oasis]

yeah

[swift briar]

OHHHHH

voluminous as in... volume

I see now

Makes more sense now

[chrome garnet]

HII

I have a question

What is themeaning of hardly

because hard mean other thing that hardly

[barren hawk]

I give you an example : hardly unlikely. It means, not likely not happen.

It would mean like : almost not

He can hardly read without his glasses.
OR
I hardly use my car so it still has a low mileage.

[swift briar]

Barely

This is hardly enough money

This is barely enough money

[chrome garnet]

OOOH

OKK

and a the last one

FAST AND FASTLY

Fast is the same in the adjective and the adverb

but fastly??

[desert sable]

That isn’t a word. It’s just fast. It’s quite unusual for an adjective to be the same as its adverb but there are some.

You could however say quickly

[chrome garnet]

thanks brou

[swift briar]

Fastly and furiously

[cunning loom]

Hello! Can anyone from the Greak Lakes region of the US confirm or deny that they pronounce words like "grab", "bath" and "as" with æ-raising?

[thorny viper]

I agree with you. Weirdly, there is an entry for this word on the Merriam Webster dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fastly

[barren hawk]

What's the difference between : all of and every ?

I saw every movies he realized.
I saw all of the movies he realized.
Is there something incorrect ?

[thorny viper]

All is more commonly used for people and every is more commonly used for objects.

[barren hawk]

Yes but in my exercise it is written : I saw all of Ken Loach's films in London.

[thorny viper]

Yes, the addition of "he realized" in both of those sentences is grammatically incorrect

[barren hawk]

What would you say ?

That he realized* ?

That he has realized ?

[thorny viper]

I saw every movie that he directed. // I saw all of his movies.

[barren hawk]

Oh ok, I see

So I will say : I saw all of Ken Loach's films in London.

[thorny viper]

Great! 🎉

[barren hawk]

But I have to say : I have built every houses you see there. I have tried to meet all of your friends.

Like that ?

[thorny viper]

I have built every houses you see there.

[barren hawk]

but isn't it plural ?

or is it like advice ?

[thorny viper]

Since you said every, the plural is not needed.

[barren hawk]

(and yes I try to learn not to use have everytime)

What ? I didn't know that

But you need to say all of your friends (friend would be strange)

[thorny viper]

hmm

for different situations that rule is true

[barren hawk]

:/

[thorny viper]

I know, english is weird

[barren hawk]

i try to, but I don't understand

and do you have any advice, I don't understand when to use : I have done and I did ; I have directed and I directed, etc.

[thorny viper]

For example, "I make every loaf of bread in this bakery." Bread isn't plural.

[barren hawk]

I see, that's true

I wouldn't say : I make every cars in this factory.

It would be strange

But in some cases it seems to be better

[thorny viper]

Have is past perfect and present perfect, that means that an action that was completed before another action in the past. So “I had eaten breakfast before I went to work.” is correct versus "I had went to work."

[serene plinth]

they're interchangeable is most cases

[barren hawk]

I'm talking just about I have eaten, not I had eaten

[serene plinth]

you might need to pay attention in complex sentences and some other special contexts maybe

[barren hawk]

Yes but I have an exercise on that and I have to choose ahah

[serene plinth]

Are the listed sentences mostly complex?

[serene plinth]

Special contexts for example.
Just 'I've eaten' v/s 'I ate'. The latter might sound weird but it's absolutely correctly

many a times, dialectal/stylistic choices do work in

Some sources claim that BrE prefers present perfect while AmE prefers simple past

[barren hawk]

On average, 100 quakes of the same magnitude as the one that (shake) LA last week occur every year. Losses from natural disasters (total) 3m deaths and hundres of billions of dollars over the past twenty years.

[serene plinth]

huh?

[barren hawk]

I have to replace shake and total by have shaken or shook ; have totalled or totalled

[serene plinth]

shook and have totalled sounds good to me

[barren hawk]

yep that's it

but it's quite puzzling

[serene plinth]

you just need to practise ig

[misty terrace]

Shook , have totaled

[serene plinth]

I'm so sorry for not being able to guide you properly on this

[serene plinth]

Heyyyyyy

[barren hawk]

Don't worry, I'll try my best to find out. And maybe come back with some more questions.

[misty terrace]

Heyyyyyyyyyyyy

[barren hawk]

I'm pretty sure it won't hurt the toefl examinator, but it's always better to be sure.

[serene plinth]

Let me tell you this. Most native and fluent speakers usually go for what sounds right

[dense oasis]

i disagree, because this would mean am fluent

and i suck

[serene plinth]

I'm talking bout those who already fall in the two categories...

[dense oasis]

i know, i was just, joking, i guess...

nah i am, if i believe in myself then i can be lol

[serene plinth]

yep

You have to believe in yourself

[dense oasis]

if you don't believe in yourself then nobody's gonna believe you

hah

[misty terrace]

It’s okay I am native and also suck

[barren hawk]

I was thinking

I see the difference

For example in saying : She was the best. She has been the best.

[serene plinth]

They have a slight nuance

[barren hawk]

The second one would mean she's not anymore but in a way related to the present.

Like she has been the best, but now she's even better (no sense but you see).

[dense oasis]

depends

[barren hawk]

rohhhhh

[dense oasis]

like hugely depends

but i gotta go take a shower so i cant elaborate

[barren hawk]

rohhhhh x2

[whole elm]

Are 'were' and 'where' pronounced in the same way in American English?"

[barren hawk]

were - wûr

where - wer

(in AmE)

[whole elm]

My teacher told me that they are pronounced at the same way lol

[barren hawk]

Wait for other answers so, I might not have all the keys ahah

[whole elm]

okok

[scenic stirrup]

I'd like to know the meaning of “pass the law on to" in this sentence: I don’t believe Isla Bryson is truly, and genuinely, a trans
woman,” said SNP leadership candidate Humza Yousaf to
Sophie Ridge on Sky News, when asked about Sturgeon’s disastrous attempts to pass the law on self-identification. “I
think they’re trying to play the system for personal advantage.”

[thorny viper]

“pass the law on to” means to pass a law that allows people to self-identify their gender.

[barren hawk]

pass the law on means to vote it, like to make it becoming a law and not only a text.

[barren hawk]

he might not know what "pass the law on" means

[scenic stirrup]

Thank you guys. That's a satisfying answer.

There's another meaning I'd like to get that is a prolific punter as in this sentence
Wright was a prolific punter, paying for sex.

[thorny viper]

Never heard that before. The sentence may be implying that Wright is engaging with a ||prostitute||.

[scenic stirrup]

Below is the whole sentence:
Wright was a prolific punter, paying for sex with the most vulnerable women — five of whom he went on to murder —but somehow he was merely engaged in a Judith Butler-inspired discourse in gender performativity?

[thorny viper]

An internet search says:
A punter is a person who gambles, especially one who bets against a bookmaker. The word prolific means producing many works, results, or offspring. So a prolific punter would be someone who gambles frequently and produces many results.

[scenic stirrup]

Greatly appreciated.

[thorny viper]

No problem!

[dense oasis]

if you dont mind me asking, what book is this taken from

[thorny viper]

That is from an article titled “Beware the false victim” by Julie Bindel published in The Critic Magazine

[dense oasis]

oh, okay, thank you

[scenic stirrup]

Spot on

[rotund swift]

@dense oasis

[cunning loom]

no, they are not

[bright pulsar]

Native here, they are most certainly not.

[whole dagger]

they arent

[bright pulsar]

"where" and "wear" are pronounced the same, however.

[flat rune]

no they aint

where - wear or w air
were - w ir

[cerulean tusk]

yea they are

you commented but didnt read

try again

[flat rune]

they're not pronounced the same way

[cerulean tusk]

ok, but you didnt reply to that comment...

[flat rune]

[bright pulsar]

It's a simple misunderstanding,

[cerulean tusk]

yes it is

[flat rune]

I typed different words than ron said so idk

I wasnt responding to him

but yea I should of used reply

[cerulean tusk]

no prob

my bad for not just asking for clarification on what you were responding to

[thorny viper]

why must you fight

[mortal citrus]

Round 1 fight

[flat rune]

Musk vs Zucc

[sick talon]

What does the phrase "left and right" mean?

[swift briar]

Everywhere

They're coming in left and right, we need to stop them

[swift briar]

You really seem to like being a referee.

[mortal citrus]

Yes

[swift briar]

@mortal citrus have you ever heard the term "hit out"

[mortal citrus]

Nope

Use in context

[late topaz]

I only know the phrase "hit on"

[swift briar]

I was reading this 1 article and they said that people caused a "hit out" on someone

[mortal citrus]

Maybe i can ynderstand

Ohhhhh

[mortal citrus]

Yeah. A “hit out” is like criticising someone strongly

[swift briar]

It's a phrase not a term, my bad

[swift briar]

I've never heard someone said that

[late topaz]

there you go

[mortal citrus]

This is why context matters

[swift briar]

Before

[mortal citrus]

Oh nice i was right

[swift briar]

Trust me i could easily google it, im good, i was just asking fenti in particular if he ever heard it before.

[mortal citrus]

Always ask for context yall!

[late topaz]

Trust me, it's better to have several sources of information

[swift briar]

Y'all*

Jk

Anyways

[mortal citrus]

Lmao

I was about to say haha

[mortal citrus]

ate u saying im untrustworthy 😧😧

😒

Jk dont attack me

[swift briar]

Can you give me an example of it being used in a context that could alter the meaning ?

[swift briar]

attacks you

[mortal citrus]

Hmm

“They decided to hit out at the shopkeeper because he refused to give service”