📚｜english-questions

[wintry haven]

And I don't want to be misunderstood

[obsidian lodge]

Tbh just diffrent people will use slang words based on how they were grown up

[serene plinth]

Pop out could also mean .... Appear.. or be seen

[obsidian lodge]

You just have to learn to work around it

[wintry haven]

But that's the meaning when the verb Is intransitive

[serene plinth]

Like suddenly come into view

[wintry haven]

I believe

[serene plinth]

Yeah

[wintry haven]

He used It as a transitive verb, like with an object

[serene plinth]

But this is slang English so it doesn't necessarily need to follow grammatical rules

[wintry haven]

Which Is board games

[serene plinth]

I agree with them

[obsidian lodge]

When trying to figure out slang you are honestly just going to have to ask someone or google it

[serene plinth]

It means that she brought out the board ganes

[obsidian lodge]

It is difficult but I guess that's english :/

[wintry haven]

That much I understood

It's Just that his expression doesn't feel grammatically correct, and It seems like It isn't in fact

[serene plinth]

Maybe ....

But if they're a native English speaker then it really doesn't matter if they were grammatical or not

[wintry haven]

I just wanted to make sure

That's all

[serene plinth]

Hmmm

It makes sense... We know what they meant... So it's fine

That's all I can say

[dense oasis]

puppy eyes 😳

[serene plinth]

What 👀

[wintry haven]

I believe that knowing grammar even in an extremely informal convo (where grammatical mistakes are tolerated) is still important, because at least you're aware of your own mistakes

[hazy bramble]

are there any tips on how to make reading exercises less hellish?

[dense oasis]

read more

[serene plinth]

Practise reading...

Only way out mate

[wintry haven]

As an humble intermediate level, I'd suggest to learn some vocabulary too

[serene plinth]

When you're a native/fluent speaker, it doesn't matter much

[dense oasis]

puppy eyes!!!

[hazy bramble]

[serene plinth]

Read out loud if you can

[wintry haven]

Also I feel like reading literature is a good way to learn some intelligent words

[wintry haven]

That may come in handy when you're doing a certification test

[serene plinth]

What's your English level @wintry haven ? A2 or B1? Or somewhere in between?

[wintry haven]

B1, why you asking

[serene plinth]

Nay just curious

[dense oasis]

Yes, for example that humans are viviparous and in alternative future dystopia ovaries are excised, and decanted, to later burgeon and bud, in order to proliferate as brand-new embryos

[serene plinth]

B1 is good

[wintry haven]

Bro A2 Is actually like beginner level

I wouldn't even be able to make these sentences

[serene plinth]

A2-B1 is intermediate

[wintry haven]

A1-A2 Is beginner

B1-B2 intermediate

[serene plinth]

Ik that

[wintry haven]

C1-C2 advanced

[hazy bramble]

not very helpful but eh, thanks.

[wintry haven]

Btw, I'm taking the B2 test in like 2 weeks and I need to pass it

[dense oasis]

Puppy eyes are right tho. You need to read more. Books. Hard. But thats the way, if they have an audiobook to listen after that, even better

[serene plinth]

Technically B2 is very advanced in this day

B2-C1 is considered fluent non-native English

[wintry haven]

I know people from my uni who got the B2 even though they speak an even more broken english than I do

[dense oasis]

Especially assuming your language is not related to english, like for example vietnamese has a similar SVO structure, but the words do not have similar roots to english, since vietnam was under chinese rule for nearly a thousand years, so, a native of that language gotta learn a lot of vocab and read a lot to get the same amount of vocab comprehension as someone who speaks german or french

Polish the same, in my case

[hazy bramble]

i know but to me reading is just this monumental task with walls of texts that i cant wrap my head around, even if i do, its always the wrong idea

[wintry haven]

I think you're overestimating the B2

[hazy bramble]

and i feel like even with practice, i dont learn anything at the end of the day

[wintry haven]

@serene plinth I'd like to ask you

Where are you from

[bold thunder]

Guys what are the best English series and movies to learning English?

[wintry haven]

Because you're giving me some UK kinda vibes

[dense oasis]

hadnt you been reading in your native, before starting english? had it been the same?

[hazy bramble]

yes.
i always get the wrong idea

[wintry haven]

Reading may be difficult even in your own native language if you suffer from Attention deficit, ADD, ADHD or other similar neurodiversities

Let alone in another language

[dense oasis]

okay... i kinda hoped to be told no, but then this means you just do not like reading itself, possibly, ive no idea what to recommend then, for me it helped to pick books which cover my interests or just get me interested, like truecrime, horrors, and so on, depending on the person

[hazy bramble]

i do admit that i have a short attention span, i get distracted easily and i forget stuff really quick too

[hazy bramble]

i can read stuff for fun but when it comes to tests and stuff ive always hated it

[serene plinth]

Not really. Native speakers don't take certification so... Or C1 is average native English.

Online tests aren't authentic. Proper CEFR certification is rather scary

[civic mulch]

Yeah most online tests aren't really reflective of your actual proficiency level

[serene plinth]

You know what general C2 is? A native English speaker after their 30s with years of speaking English (better academically)

[wintry haven]

If you go check out some CEFR Cambridge C1 speaking tests, you'll notice how little fluent the candidates are

Even at C1

[dense oasis]

and most offline ones are not either because your cortizol level goes over the roof and you lose a lot of your abilities, not even language skills, but pure thinking gets worse

[civic mulch]

That is so real

[hazy bramble]

no way theyre gonna make a certificate test free, that stuff is expensive

[serene plinth]

We're going by the set standards.... Nowadays none of it matters

[serene plinth]

Fr

IELTS is such a scam

[wintry haven]

Because non native speakers, as such, didn't live in a context where certain mistakes weren't even fathomable

[serene plinth]

@hazy bramble join today's event if possible

@dense oasis u vc?

[dense oasis]

what does event mean in this context lol

[wintry haven]

That is essentially what constitutes a native speaker

You guys can't make certain mistakes

[serene plinth]

We host daily events and classes in this server

[wintry haven]

Like taking duh and no shit as equivalent and mutually exchangable

[serene plinth]

None here rn is a native speaker...

[wintry haven]

You are tho

Aren't you

[serene plinth]

I'm not

[dense oasis]

he is not native

[serene plinth]

[dense oasis]

lol

[wintry haven]

Wow

What a twist

[serene plinth]

I just teach English in this server.....

That's all

[wintry haven]

Where are you from then

[serene plinth]

India

[wintry haven]

And what Is your native language

[hazy bramble]

if i manage to finish my reading exercises then sure(im forced to)

[dense oasis]

why were you asking

[wintry haven]

Ok

[serene plinth]

Cuz I'm bored

[dense oasis]

and i cant vc now

you seemed like wanting something very specific lol

[wintry haven]

https://youtu.be/_Bx_x-gvLw0

[serene plinth]

[wintry haven]

These guys are not even C1 come on

Don't come up to me and be like "uhm actually A2 is fluent" 🤓

[serene plinth]

I wish it were

I'm stuck with A0 level English

[wintry haven]

You're spreading psychological terrorism over here

[serene plinth]

Wait that's not yo voice is it?

[dense oasis]

Puppy eyes, you don't have the balls to resign from teacher same as I resigned from english helper lol

[late topaz]

it is

[dense oasis]

replying to this

[wintry haven]

You're not a native John

I can hear that

I can hear the inflections being slightly off

[flat rune]

i bought Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis but idk how to start studying with it
can anyone help me with it if anyone has studied from that book

[serene plinth]

💅

[dense oasis]

nails

[wintry haven]

Where the natives at

Where they at ffs

[dense oasis]

partying

[serene plinth]

Why fear when I'm here

[late topaz]

point out which inflections were off

[serene plinth]

[late topaz]

with time tags

[dense oasis]

(provide milliseconds as well)

[wintry haven]

Idk man it's not something you can point out

You Just feel it

I'm not a linguist

I do not have a PhD in english

[late topaz]

in this poor quality 4 second clip i made while walking

i wonder

[wintry haven]

I'm sorry

Ask other people

Ask natives

[serene plinth]

Well John's fluent and that's enough

[dense oasis]

John you have a perfect accent and perfect pitch of the voice

[wintry haven]

I didn't want to lower your self esteem John don't get me wrong

[serene plinth]

You didn't

[late topaz]

you cant lower my self esteem, because you are not in control of my worldview

[wintry haven]

Partially

You can read my words

[serene plinth]

Lol. Just go to the States already

[late topaz]

and I am having a great day today as well

[wintry haven]

Sticks and Stones won't break my Bones, but words...

[mental terrace]

yoo new english questions argument

[wintry haven]

It's an essential part of being an intelligent living being

We suffer from hearing certain speeches, certain words

[flat rune]

has anyone studied english from word power made easy by norman lewis

[late topaz]

can you point out which words have I mispronounced in my 4 second recording

[mental terrace]

which one

[wintry haven]

Not mispronounced

[mental terrace]

where

[wintry haven]

It's the accent

You can here it's not British/american/southafrican/Australian

That's all I'm saying

[mental terrace]

where

[wintry haven]

As you know, accents are not a problem when it comes to speaking fluently

[late topaz]

above

[mental terrace]

the

the fucking nerd recording?

lmfao

[wintry haven]

Yea

[late topaz]

yes

[dense oasis]

• where
• where
• above
  I like these conversations more and more

as if it could have been below

[mental terrace]

i cant really tell because the nerd accent is real but

idk it sounds like the nerd accent I need some actual English lmao

[wintry haven]

It's the accent

[mental terrace]

it’s a nerd accent

I sound like that when I act like a nerd

[wintry haven]

Yeah but you can be a polish nerd, a german nerd etc

There are some inflections that come from his native language

[mental terrace]

are you eating chips or something

[wintry haven]

Idk what specifically

[late topaz]

im outside walking

[wintry haven]

Can you make another voice audio pls?

[mental terrace]

same tbh

[dense oasis]

lmfaoo

[wintry haven]

Mmmmmh

Something Is not quite right

[mental terrace]

that sounds french

[wintry haven]

Yes

European

[late topaz]

so i can imitate accents

[mental terrace]

outplayed lmfao

[wintry haven]

Hey man if you want some real feedback you'd better be dropping this impression act

[mental terrace]

im about to go home so

[dense oasis]

i like these recordings tho

keep them coming

[late topaz]

i dont really, i have a whole clip of me talking in #🗒｜pronunciation

[wintry haven]

Can't find it

[mental terrace]

to be honest john’s fluency is as good as native (so much so that he is comfortable enough to try to poke fun at native’s english (i didn’t forget)) so

[late topaz]

i know i dont sound like a stereotypical american

but i think its decent

[wintry haven]

The problem in question is not his fluency

[serene plinth]

It is

[wintry haven]

But his accent

[mental terrace]

why does it matter?

[serene plinth]

Fr

[late topaz]

not really, I struggle with descriptions and explanations

[serene plinth]

His accent's very good

[wintry haven]

Fluency can't be properly judged by listening to fucking 4 seconds of voice audio

[late topaz]

cant write essays and have grammar of a 14 y.o

[dense oasis]

John, teach me master, I want to be as strong as your english one day. Like just wake up, open my eyelids, and feel the power flowing through my veins and providing me with vital english energy

[mental terrace]

die

it’s in .wav

[serene plinth]

I've spoken with John before. They're good

[wintry haven]

Fluency Is not equal with pronounciation goddammit !!!

[late topaz]

its pure sound

[serene plinth]

Ik that

Accents are like a secondary thing

[wintry haven]

Yes

[mental terrace]

i mean a 14 year old is incredibly fluent when they need to be

you shoulda seen me in 8th grade english

https://tenor.com/view/eminem-stan-gif-25903522

[late topaz]

one of my friends from florida didnt know how to spell errands

he wrote aarons

[mental terrace]

https://tenor.com/view/fire-writing-gif-24533171

[wintry haven]

Wow

[mental terrace]

lmfao we had the same idea

[wintry haven]

Lol

[mental terrace]

as a fellow one who graduated middle school from florida
i am not surprised

[wintry haven]

Me concluding my essay with "so uh yeah"

[wintry haven]

Mmmmmh so you're a florida man

[dense oasis]

I was not joking @late topaz

[wintry haven]

How does It feel to live in the worst state imaginable?

[mental terrace]

not a man but sure

[mental terrace]

i live in the UK

[wintry haven]

How old are you?

[wintry haven]

Oopsie I forgor

Sorry

[mental terrace]

none of yo business

[wintry haven]

You didn't need to be this rude but ok

[dense oasis]

@mental terrace What's the diameter of your feet?

[wintry haven]

Mmmh feet 🤤🤤

[mental terrace]

4.26296cm

[hazy bramble]

boney

[dense oasis]

Okay, noted. Thank you. I appreciate the kindness

[mental terrace]

what the fuck is a kilometer

[late topaz]

can you please use freedom units?

[wintry haven]

RAHH 🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

[mental terrace]

preach this shi

[wintry haven]

Freedom 🔫🔫

Fucking americans

Free to kill whosoever they please

[dense oasis]

approximately three and a half inch of an eagle, which has been run over three times by obese americans driving car-trolley-cart-shits in the middle of a walmart

[mental terrace]

what the fu

[wintry haven]

(((btw how does this phrase sound?)))

[dense oasis]

like as if you were mentally disabled

[wintry haven]

Ty

I am actually

[dense oasis]

no i meant you are not, thats why i was saying that

[mental terrace]

ima go walk back home

[wintry haven]

Wait

I Need some feedback for the phrase above

[mental terrace]

like as if you were mentally disabled

[wintry haven]

Can you point out specifically what's wrong?

[dense oasis]

very good answer

[late topaz]

Well, I am not a native, but if you want to sound like a hillbilly, you could use it

[wintry haven]

I'm trying to learn your language dammit

[mental terrace]

whoever instead of whosoever

[wintry haven]

Elaborate

Why

[mental terrace]

whosoever sounds like some shit id pull out of my ass while playing scrabble

[wintry haven]

So It doesn't make me sound smarter got it

[dense oasis]

howsoever, id like to disagree with you, whosoever you are, and whatsoever you were trying yo say, mr. bad idea

[late topaz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2t59dPf9K0

[wintry haven]

I see eet

I'd put a nice f before eet

[mental terrace]

it makes you sound mentally disabled ❤️

[dense oasis]

ah yes quote me more

[wintry haven]

You're not a bad idea, but you're a bad mannered individual for sure

[dense oasis]

😍

[mental terrace]

do not car

gonna walk home now bye

[wintry haven]

L

[noble wasp]

hello xd
what's the difference between "stick with" and "stick to"?

[hazy bramble]

stick to is usually used when you have to follow a certain order
stick with is used when you have to have a requirement for something

(idk search it up)

[late topaz]

no difference except:
stick to could mean "adhere". Example: stick a poster to the wall; mud stuck to my shoes
stick with could mean be "be left with something as a burden". Example: Some guy asked me to hold his briefcase and now I am stuck with it.

[dense oasis]

@late topaz i wish i had been half as good as you are

[late topaz]

because you are 2 times better

[dense oasis]

noo

[late topaz]

?define palsy-walsy

[hazy herald]

Word: palsy-walsy

Definition (adjective): (used colloquially) having the relationship of friends or pals

Definition requested by john_atdawn

[late topaz]

you're so palsy-walsy

[dense oasis]

?define inconspicuousness

[hazy herald]

Word: inconspicuousness

Definition (noun): the quality of being not easily seen

Definition requested by black4cat

[dense oasis]

Your english is full of inconspicuousness. Its greatness can not even be seen from the outside, but I know it is great

[late topaz]

?define supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

[hazy herald]

Word: supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

No definitions listed.

Definition requested by john_atdawn

[late topaz]

D:

[civic mulch]

:(

[dense oasis]

I wish my vocabulary was as wide as yours

[late topaz]

please stop

[tidal lily]

That's what she said

[silver iris]

What is the difference between "foretell" and "forecast" ?

[balmy dome]

Let's be honest, no matter how surprisable such "fancyass" words are, nobody uses them in a regular basis, which means they are mostly useless

[dense oasis]

thank you for your opinion

[balmy dome]

Anytime

[bright pulsar]

the problem with a lot of big words are how useless and unnatural they sound even in literary contexts

you can get away with a lot more in literature, but even then, you'll maybe use certain words once in 100,000 words because of how unsuitable they are

[late topaz]

but it makes you sound smart and gives you more ways of expressing yourself

[bright pulsar]

it doesn't make you sound smart

[late topaz]

it does tho

[bright pulsar]

it makes you sound like a fool, ironically

[late topaz]

if you dont know how to use those words, yes. Otherwise, no

[bright pulsar]

but still, yes. because you're using big words to people who probably don't understand them and completely undermining your efforts to converse fluently

anyone can learn a big word.

it doesn't make it useful.

[flat rune]

hey has anyone studied from the book WORD POWER MADE EASY by Norman Lewis

[late topaz]

that's the thing, determining what could be understood by another person is the key to effective communication

there's a channel called Charisma on command

it delves more into that topic

[bright pulsar]

conversation is not rocket science

i hope you'll stop looking into it so much.

[late topaz]

nobody said that it is, yet most don't know how to speak well

I'd say the majority

[bright pulsar]

most people can speak fine.

[late topaz]

uhm, ehm, oh, uh

[late topaz]

casually

but put them on a stage, make them do a presentation or a report

[dense oasis]

You are extremely wrong, like your statements above are just deeply incorrect, to a degree, at least. I mean I agree with you, that forcefully putting big words everywhere is just not the best thing to read, but in general knowing them and being capable of understanding them in contexts is very useful if someone wants to work with the english language, for example programmers need a lot of very rare vocabulary for reading documentation sometimes, other people would like to study some other language but using english textbooks or articles on pronunciation, grammar of that another language, etc, all this is not easy everyday vocabulary, the deeper you go into usage of this language, the weirdest words you see, and sometimes it is crucial to know them even if they are weird

[bright pulsar]

I can't believe we somehow got from literature to "speaking"

a drastic misrepresentation

[late topaz]

because literature is vital for a healthy mind

just look at me

I am sick

[bright pulsar]

ok

good luck or congratulations or whatever

[bright pulsar]

my guy, I did not even make a mention of "lingo."

[late topaz]

https://tenor.com/view/meme-gif-24015903

Ron choosing his words to come off as the least fun person

Lighten up, pal

[bright pulsar]

what

[late topaz]

Having a bad day?

[bright pulsar]

what

[late topaz]

I can feel the grumpy vibe

[bright pulsar]

i have absolutely no idea what you're on about

[dense oasis]

I think this is a potential recommendation of skin-whitening products. John is trying to sell you some bleach for skin

[late topaz]

Look, the point is, even the most ignorant person would agree that knowing more wouldn't hurt anyone

[bright pulsar]

never said that isn't the case

i like words. i write

knowing words only helps me

[late topaz]

Can you give me an example of a "big word"?

because that's sort of subjective

[bright pulsar]

there's two that come to mind, and I think one is worse than the other: the type that is niche or extremely underused, or the type which is simply long.

a combination of the two is usually the worst kind.

[dense oasis]

well, looks like I unnecessarily added to your discussion above a bit, and like thats not the channel for that, so, id love to ask you to move to #🧠｜serious-chat or something, please, i guess

[late topaz]

like felicity or intrepid?

[bright pulsar]

those aren't too long, but they're not at all common

[wintry haven]

Guys I have a question

Would you guys consider ruckus and turmoil as informal words?

[dense oasis]

So looks like your question got burried here at the top somehow, so, I guess I wanna dig it out now.
"Foretell" is most likely less common, because i do not really remember seeing it too often, if at all, used by ordinary people in everyday conversations even about deeper topics, while "forecast" is automatically telling me something about usually weather, but this is not always correlated, like you can forecast other things, not only weather. For example you can forecast some problems with economy.
https://sentencedict.com/forecast.html
above sentences with "forecast", to show you the most common contexts in which it is used

"Foretell", however, sounds more serious. More mystical, rare. As if you wanted to be a prophet and kind of guess something is going to happen, even if you do not know this that much and you don't even have the data to tell this so easily.
https://sentencedict.com/foretell.html
above sentences with "foretell", and among them, if you look closely, the topics are very different, foretell was used to describe wars, fate, etc, while forecast was used to describe economy and weather, so looks like their usages are different, foretell sounds more abstract, while forecast more real

[late topaz]

ruckus is informal

turmoil is more formal

[wintry haven]

Ok ty

[late topaz]

actually I see it being used a lot with regards to periods of history

[wintry haven]

What

Turmoil?

[dense oasis]

Yes

turmoil is even used in songs about war

Sabaton used this word, certainly

[wintry haven]

But I don't think it's used exclusively for historical events or is it?

[bright pulsar]

no

[dense oasis]

https://www.sabaton.net/discography/the-great-war/the-attack-of-the-dead-men/

"Turmoil at the front
Wilhelms forces on the hunt
There’s a thunder in the east
It’s an attack of the deceased
They’ve been facing poison gas
7000 charge en masse
Turn the tide of the attack
And force the enemy to turn back"

a quote

[bright pulsar]

people often say they're dealing with some inner turmoil or whatnot

[late topaz]

nah

emotional turmoil

[silver iris]

Okay thanks a lot Cat !

[mental terrace]

damn this chat on fire with arguments

[bright pulsar]

an insiginificant kerfuffle

[mental terrace]

quite so

[balmy dome]

Overall, extra knowledge never hurts. Nevertheless, if we consider a language as an effective tool for knowledge exchanging, then using not well known words make sense only in very specific use cases such as scientific related stuff where knowing the meaning of them is naturally expected and is necessary to give a proper definition

[bright pulsar]

I would agree, but let's not spiral this channel out of control again

[dense oasis]

you're welcome

[odd oriole]

I think words like
Ruckuss and turmoil should be used more.
They were once regularly used words. I grew up using them.
Use them as often as you like and teach others their meanings and use.
Keep the language alive. It's not meant to be use only on special occasions.

[wintry haven]

I have a deeper question for native speakers

Do you guys feel like brits regularly use a wider variety of words than americans?

Because I sorta have this feeling just by watching yt videos

So I may be wrong

[civic mulch]

Im also under that impression tbh

[flat rune]

How i have free toefl test

[balmy dome]

Isn't it because words from the American dialect are widely used unlike thier analogs in other dialects?

[wintry haven]

Idk

Everytime I listen to an englishman, I always end up learning a new word or expression

[balmy dome]

I believe it's because they're mostly British-specific vocabularies

[bright pulsar]

It is British English for a reason-- even geography can influence lexical variation. It's in the same vein as cola, soda, and pop all being primarily used by different parts of the states. You're bound to learn something new from an entirely different dialect.

Can't personally affirm that their variety is any more than American English, though.

There's probably a study on it somewhere.

[noble wasp]

which is correct?

1. "he is on his way to become"
2. "he is on his way to becoming"
3. "he is on his way on becoming"

[whole dagger]

what is he becoming?

because 2 would be right if it had the thing hes becoming at the end

[noble wasp]

which would be correct if there's no complement?

@whole dagger forgot to reply to ur msg xd

[whole dagger]

uhm

its a bit of a weird thing to say i feel like none are right

2 could sound fine ig

but still nothing id come up with

[noble wasp]

aight, thanks!

[thorn hinge]

pnuemococcal pnuemonia

[sullen wolf]

What would you say, out of curiosity?

because to me, 2 sounds fine to me

"He's on his way to becoming a doctor"

Ah, I assume there was more to the sentence.

Yeah, if those 3 options are the whole sentence, none of them sound right

[thorn hinge]

2 is correct

1 is fine too

3 is insane

[civic mulch]

To me, if there isn't a gerund after 'to', it sounds extremely weird and I don't think it's correct

[obsidian lodge]

Yeah there needs to be some kind of word talking about what he is becoming (I forgot the actual word I'm sorry I'm sleepy)

The "to" in the sentence is a preposition and it starts a prepositional phrase which needs some sort of object

Actually they are all wrong

The "on" is also a preposition

[amber junco]

They are all correct but

1 sound like an answer to a question
2 with the gerund "becoming" I'm expecting also the object of the phrase
3 same as 2 also with "on" you have to be more specific

[obsidian lodge]

But don't they need a word talking about what is becoming

I don't think any would be correct

[amber junco]

Depends on how the question is phrased, none of them are correct if the book says "which one is correct"

But "is going to become" for me sounds like an answer

[obsidian lodge]

An answer to what?

Even when talking to people which is always pretty informal or asking a question you would need to talk about what is becoming.

[amber junco]

Have already Fred became a soccer player?
He is on his way to become.

[obsidian lodge]

No

Thats incorrect

It would be "he is on his way to become one"

[amber junco]

That's an unusual way to answer but is not incorrect

[obsidian lodge]

No it's just incorrect

[amber junco]

You can skip one, subject is not needed all the time

Cause one is already implied in the question

Than again we need to see the context of the original questions cause "which one is correct" is not enough

[obsidian lodge]

Also the first sentence should be has not have

No I still think it is wrong

"The object of a preposition, also known as a prepositional object, is essential to forming complete sentences"

Got this from google

[amber junco]

The object can be extracted from context

Yet again we are discussing on incomplete informations so not really useful

[obsidian lodge]

That's true

Welp there isn't too much we can do anyways

And I now have to go eat

[amber junco]

🥐 ☕ me too

[boreal pewter]

Someone's right, sorry

You can't remove "one" there

The subject is often dropped in conversation, but "one" here is not a subject (it is a subject complement)

[swift briar]

Grammar is hard!

[balmy dome]

Can you please transcript this short moment from a song?

P.S. I know my thoughts can be ...

[delicate herald]

I hear I know my thoughts can .... something something (for ya? maybe)

[obsidian lodge]

yess i was right

[balmy dome]

Thank you a lot, I believe you're totally accurate regarding "thoughts can" instead of my "skin"

Sadly, there are no lyrics for this old song

Maybe it's "can be painful"

[wintry haven]

Guys I have a question

How common Is the word "haughty" in ordinary conversation

[dense oasis]

it is not common

[wintry haven]

And can I use it intercheangeably with words like "conceited", "arrogant", "proud" or does It have a different meaning?

[dense oasis]

proud is not even close to arrogant

[wintry haven]

I mean

[dense oasis]

proud is positive, arrogant is negative

[wintry haven]

Yeah

But Haughty belongs to this semantic family right?

Generally speaking

Without taking into account subtle nuances

[dense oasis]

apparently it is close to arrogant

[wintry haven]

But why Is It not as common as arrogant

[dense oasis]

why is it not as common as arrogant? because people like to use certain words more often, other ones rarely, thats all, idk why they decided that this one is not gonna be used that often, maybe arrogant was created first and they did not need haughty that much in everyday life

like

[wintry haven]

I have read It only once

It's crazy

[dense oasis]

i can call you "exquisite" if i want to for example say your face is fragile and small and cute, but normal people would just tell you "pretty"

[wintry haven]

Why Is It even in the dictionary at this point

[wintry haven]

Ik

I think It has to do with mastery of the language

Like It happens in every tongue

[dense oasis]

well dictionaries need to have a lot of terms, right...

[eager bone]

Haughty is kind of like used more in a formal conversation

[wintry haven]

In italian there's an awful lot of words that I could use theoretically but never come to mind when needed

Or when I want to make a beautiful literary speech

[eager bone]

I've read haughty many times in novels and comics

[wintry haven]

I'm more familiar with spoken english

Maybe that's why I haven't encountered it that many times

[eager bone]

When you read books, you'll encounter so many unique and rarely used words

[wintry haven]

But I think It depends on the book

[eager bone]

Yeah

[wintry haven]

Like for instance my brother has got all of the Harry Potter books

I tried to take a peek and read

And It's easy to understand for an intermediate like myself

Not too many big words

On the other hand I tried to read fucking Dune by Frank Herbert

And that's when shit gets real

For me at least

[eager bone]

I think they did that on purpose because the target audience are teens

[wintry haven]

Yes

Dune i think Is targeted towards young adults

And also it was written in the 60s I believe

I should try the Lord of The Rings

[delicate herald]

As long as you find it challenging, but not overly difficult it's a good idea. It's a great way to learn different phrasings and words, if you're into that sort of thing.

[wintry haven]

I'm doing this solely in preparation for an exam

[delicate herald]

Learning more words?

[wintry haven]

Otherwise I wouldn't do it

[wintry haven]

Yes

By opening random pages of a literary book

[delicate herald]

Is the exam general english?

[wintry haven]

IELTS

But it's a bit different

You have like 45 minutes for each level

If you don't score at least 70% for each level test, you can't go to the next one

[eager bone]

IELTS is very much important

I, too, am preparing for it

[wintry haven]

I Need to get the B2

At all costs

I need It for my graduation

[delicate herald]

B2 is pretty straightforward

[wintry haven]

Yeah but you never know

[delicate herald]

That's true. Have you tried British Council? They have content that is structured by CEFR-levels

[wintry haven]

I tried to take a test on the app

They gave me a C1 but I don't believe it

[eager bone]

Which app? I want to try it, too

[wintry haven]

British Council

Maybe, I don't recall

[delicate herald]

You can get some free IELTS practice tests, can't you?

Because B2 is not as advanced as you might think. If you look at the CEFR criteria for B2 it's pretty basic stuff

[inner stag]

what is the possessive adjective for (it)?

[delicate herald]

possessive adjective? Adjectives describe nouns. Do you mean possessive pronoun?

[wintry haven]

Its ?

[delicate herald]

it would be its, yes.

My, your, his, her, its, our, your, their

you got your twice, but it's the same for singular/plural

[wintry haven]

Don't think so tbh

[delicate herald]

They have a bunch on their website:
https://www.ielts.org/usa/ielts-practice-test

[inner stag]

@wintry haven @delicate herald thank you guys so much ❤️‍🩹

[wintry haven]

Oh ty

I was actually too lazy to google It myself sorry

[balmy dome]

IELTS isn't a comprehension exam, it doesn't expect from you to understand every single word as it provides materials from a variety of different recourses. The key is your common sense and knowing the most effective patterns to answer that you can find for free on the internet

Especially, if you aim on B2

[wintry haven]

But like I said it's not really like IELTS

The computer test verifies: reading comprehension (reading), listening comprehension (listening to audio and/or video stimulus), and grammatical and lexical knowledge.

The computer test is linear and follows the levels outlined by the European reference framework: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2.

All users begin the test by starting with the A1 level exercise block.
Access to the next level is possible only if at least 70 percent of the questions from the previous level are answered correctly.

The test can last a maximum of 2h and 25 minutes and will end when the user does not reach the minimum score in the level he or she is taking.

This Is what my University says

But somewhere else they hint at the fact that IELTS is sort of involved into making this test

Wait no actually I'm wrong

It's 2 different tests

I believe the first one is closer to the Cambridge format

[delicate herald]

Cambridge has their own set of tests and certifications. But it sounds like a regular progression test.

[dusk fossil]

I read about word order (V2). and I don't understand which one of them is here, can you tell me which one?
1.I the man like
2.like I the man
3.the man like I

[odd oriole]

If you want to study abroad, either in the EU or a native speaking country, you'll most likely need a level C1 or higher, depending on the program.
They may ask for a certification of this, such as that from CAE (Cambridge Advanced English) or your IELTS, which has varying degrees of difficulty and you get your level based on how well you perform.
This exam must be updated every two years unless you're living /working or studying in a native English country (in most cases).

Very few programs expect Proficiency C2.
and that exam is quite difficult anyway.
It's generally aimed towards a business major

[tardy elbow]

I have a question, I'm about to go college and I'm confused either I choose IELTS or TOEFL. My family suggested me to learn TOEFL because it is easier, but the internet says otherwise.

[vale basin]

Haven't taken TOEFL before but I could give you my perspective as someone taking IELTS several times now. It's tough to nobody surprised. It took lots of commitments, practices, and rote memorisation if that's your kinks of what you're dexterous at. I had some of my acquaintances with perfect American accent and native-like fluency and still struggled with the exam format. It's like trying to fit a cube in a circular hole - "shoehorning" is the key

That gaslighting bit asides once you're familiar with the exam format, patterns, examiners' darling aka lexicons and idiomatic expressions, and requirement, this shouldn't be a tough nut to crack

but once again it all comes down to what band do you need. Different universities and programmes have their own standard. I would say the higher the band, the tougher it becomes.

Personally if your English is roughly intermediate, getting 6 shouldn't be with enough preparation that hard. Again depending on how you define "intermediate"

[dusk fossil]

Can someone explain better? and then I can not understand
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V2_word_order

[odd oriole]

Study for IELTS
It's accepted in more countries
But
You should consider finding out which exam the uni prefers.

[lunar token]

Most Germanic languages at some point developed a pattern in word order where the verb is in the second "position" in a declarative sentence: either John ran quickly to the store, quickly ran John to the store, last night ran John to the store etc., but not John quickly ran to the store last night (because the second position has "quickly")

Some languages are more strict about this than others (English isn't very strict at all about it except in certain frozen cases), and all languages have a number of exceptions for grammatical reasons (the verb comes first in questions for all languages; the verb comes last in dependent clauses in German and Dutch)

the wikipedia article gives some more English examples under https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V2_word_order#Vestiges_in_Modern_English

[dusk fossil]

This is what we are talking about. so in English, too, the word order is this?

[lunar token]

There is no one "the word order" in English, but also no, English is much much looser about verb placement than some other Germanic languages are

"John quickly ran to the store last night" and "We finally finished the project" are perfectly fine and natural in English where they wouldn't be in German or Dutch for example

the wikipedia article goes into a lot more depth about places where it can apply to English

[thorn owl]

what does 'i will go to the party' mean? just a fact in the future? or rapid thought? how to distinguish connotations in future simple sentences ?

[dusk fossil]

can you link to this source where are these pictures?

[lunar token]

the link i already gave you

it also gives examples of the same sentences with more normal orders, just to show it's not mandatory to use inversion here

[dusk fossil]

ааааааа lol )
I thought there was no English section. I thought so because at the beginning I saw a mention of English)

that is, is it correct for English?
1.I the man like
2.like I the man
3.the man like I

[lunar token]

no, all three of those sentences are ungrammatical

[dusk fossil]

doesn't second word order allow that? I didn't really understand

[lunar token]

I'm not sure what it is you're asking about exactly

In 90% of cases, English follows subject-verb order, meaning a sentence like I like the man is grammatical and natural

the wikipedia article you found goes over cases where that order can be reversed (do I like him?/here comes the bus), but that doesn't mean you can do it everywhere (*him do I like?/*the project finished we)

it's not a case of just sounding weird, much of the time you literally won't make sense if you put words in a certain order because English doesn't convey as much information inside of its words as languages like Russian do

it relies on word order to convey certain grammatical ideas

[dusk fossil]

@lunar token I need to understand what word order they are talking about. about it ?
V2= VSO ?

[lunar token]

V2 ~= the verb is always second in a sentence ("verb second")

it's so specific because the second position in a sentence actually matters a lot for some languages like Dutch, but for English it isn't important very often at all

Dutch allows sentences with SVO (default order) and OVS for example, but never OSV or VSO (outside of questions)

✅ ik zie de man. (I see the man)
✅ de man zie ik.
✅ zie ik de man?
❌ de man ik zie.
❌ zie ik de man.

I used Dutch examples there because English really doesn't work the same way: it likes some things Dutch hates and it hates some things Dutch likes

[dusk fossil]

Understood. and how did I understand what we are talking about, is it old English?

[lunar token]

Old English (like over 1000 years ago) did work a little more like Dutch does today, yes

[dusk fossil]

and here Dutch, he does not interest me. I'm only interested in the permissibility of English grammar

[lunar token]

then you don't need to read about V2 order at all lol

[dusk fossil]

but it mentions old English, it's just interesting to me )

@lunar token you really helped me a lot, I understood everything. Thanks very much

[lunar token]

Old English grammar (around the year 900) is so different from modern English grammar that you can basically completely ignore one if you're trying to learn the other

The way modern English grammar works is easier to explain as subject+verb (I see the man, the bus comes here) being the default order, and in certain cases you can flip it to verb+subject (do I see the man, here comes the bus) with some grammatical quirks to change the meaning or the effect

nowhere in there does V2 need to come in

[dusk fossil]

Understood . Thank you

[noble wasp]

can "in" be used as a synonym for "later"? i saw a sentence like "why go rogue 15 years in?"

[mint seal]

Yes if used in the correct context

But I wouldn't think of it as a synonym, just a substitute

[clever oriole]

What is the difference in a and an ?

[noble wasp]

which would be the right context exactly?

[mint seal]

Sorry, context as in you're clearly estabishing the time. For example, the 'years' tell us in context that it's later

[mint seal]

A is used before a word, starting with a consonant

• "She was reading a book"
  An is used before a word, starting with a vowel
• "She was eating an apple"

[clever oriole]

Okkk thank you and I have other questions, in English who we know the irregular verbs?

[mint seal]

Sorry, I don't understand your question. Are you asking what irregular verbs are, or examples?

[noble wasp]

okay. also, why the question in the example doesn't have "to" before "go rogue"? is adding it or not optional?

[mint seal]

It's unnecessary to have the word "to" because "go" is already included. The preposition "to" would not make grammatical sense and secondly, the word "go" already states the action

[clever oriole]

Mhh sorry Mh I wanted to say : how can you recognize irregular verbs in french???

[mint seal]

This in as English server, not a French server. I'd advise you to speak someone who knows the language.

[eager bone]

You use 'to' when you indicate what you're gonna do

[clever oriole]

Omg i wanted to say English sorry

[mint seal]

Oh, no worries.

[mint seal]

Irregular verbs are verbs that are 'special.' Most verbs end with '-ed' but there are some words that have their own tense forms. How do we recognise them?
Compare these two words:

• "She shared her food with her friends"
• "She held her tote bag"
  Which sentence contains an irregular verb and why?

[eager bone]

the second one

because the present for held is hold

[noble wasp]

last question 😩
is the structure in the first question i asked (in the message u replied to) correct? or should it start with "why doesn't the question in the example have..."?

[mint seal]

Precisely, and also because it doesn't end with '-ed.' @clever oriole (apologies for the excessive ping, I want to make sure you understand)when reading things in past tense, just look out for words that don't end with '-ed.' That's already a sign that it's not a regular verb. In English, there are many unique past participles/tense forms for irregular verbs so you will have to study them individually due to the fact there is no repetitive pattern for this

[mint seal]

It seems fine to me. Using 'also' is a good way to elaborate your sentences or questions.

[clever oriole]

it's the verb "held" because it's an irregular verb?

[mint seal]

Yes, that's correct

[clever oriole]

Yessss

[eager bone]

Verbs in past tense that doesn't end with 'ed' are irregular

[mint seal]

"Hold" does not change to "holded," it changes to "Held"

[dark rune]

there is a good amount of words that "break" traditional rules of english

[clever oriole]

@mint seal what would you advise me to recognize them especially the irregular ones and know their shape?

The « ed » is regular shape?

[eager bone]

A verb is irregular if you can't change it to past tense just by adding “-ed” or “-d” to the end

[clever oriole]

Ok ok

Thank you

[mint seal]

Unfortunately like I said, there isn't a pattern of tense forms for irregular verbs. I advise you to study each word individually and arrange the words into groups that end with the same form, for example:

Category 1, ending with "pt"

• Slept
• Swept
• Kept

Category 2, ending with "ld"

• Held
• Sold
• Told

You don't need to do it for every single word because there are just too many inconsistencies in English, but you can try this method

[clever oriole]

Ty !!

[mint seal]

wait i made a mistake

in there

[eager bone]

Aye, it would be better if you memorize their root word or the base form

[mint seal]

My brain isn't working and it's nearly 10am

[clever oriole]

I would learn that

Thank you for you help!

[eager bone]

If you know it, then you can easily identify the changes to the word. For example:
Base form: eat
If you change it to past tense, it would become "ate"

[clever oriole]

Ok ok

[eager bone]

In a regular verb, the base form: "work" will become "worked"

[clever oriole]

Ok ok

Ty

[eager bone]

Welcome!

[echo epoch]

What does "chupapi" means? It might be Spanish.

[eager bone]

I think it's a new term which is a combination of two Spanish words "chupa" meaning "suck" and "papi" meaning "father" so you get what I mean

[noble wasp]

i'm kinda confused. so are both examples below grammatically correct? when i translated it to english google used the second structure

"why X doesn't have...?"
"why doesn't X have...?"

[eager bone]

The second one is correct

[noble wasp]

okay, thankss

[eager bone]

In the subject-verb agreement, usually, the subject precedes the verb. But when you make it a question, the verb is put first before the subject.

For example: He is handsome.
When you turn it into a question, it becomes: Is he handsome?

Notice that "is" and "he" exchanges position

[noble wasp]

may i ask you another question about this structure? idk if i should add "do" or not to a question

[eager bone]

Sure!

[noble wasp]

i wanna know if the question i asked in the screenshot is grammatically correct or if i should've used "do", like in "so do you use both together...?"

[eager bone]

The question in the screenshot is correct. The context here is like you're making sure of the fact.
"So do you use both together... ?" is also correct. In this case, you're asking and you don't know it yet.

It kind of differs from how you use it.

But essentially, both are correct.

[noble wasp]

this was exactly what was making me confused! thank u so much!! 🫂

[eager bone]

It's fun to help.

I like English very much

It's my favorite subject at school

You can always ask me anything

[mint seal]

It's my least

[thorn hinge]

you people need to use informal contractions more

trust me

[mortal citrus]

😍

[mortal citrus]

for me english class is just boring😭..

Idk why

[cinder citrus]

What method is this to express the proniunciation of speeches in any language? Apparently It's not IPA.
Thank You.

[supple holly]

Romanization I think

https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanization

Or maybe it's either transliteration or transcription (also mentioned in the wiki)

[wooden yacht]

transcription is any method of showing sounds in writing

transliteration is any method of changing one writing system to another (like the google screenshot)

romanization is specifically transliteration into roman letters (also like the google screenshot)

[cinder citrus]

So its Transliteration. Thanks to you both.

[mint seal]

What are you learning?

[mortal citrus]

Analysing old short stories to use for our own stories🤮

Limited third person narration

Just boring

[mint seal]

omg that sounds so boring

in my class we’re revising our modules

[mortal citrus]

sounds better

[mint seal]

No but they’re so hard. I’m doing The Crucible, King Richard III and Looking for Richard

and Emma

[mortal citrus]

Oh no ty

Ew

[mortal citrus]

my first assessment was writing an in class essay about a play

im so ready for next year

no more english class

[mint seal]

Graduating?

[mortal citrus]

yep

[mint seal]

same here

[supple holly]

Thank you. I learned something from you today. Most knowledgeable EngHub member

[lucid folio]

is there asking questions in this group?

[thorn hinge]

no questions allowed

[jovial zephyr]

in UK, they will say '' im like you'' , what does taht mean tho? like it means that i agree with your opinion and stuff right？ what do y'all think ?

[eager bone]

Maybe?

Or maybe you act the same?

Or think the same?

Or like the same things?

😆

[jovial zephyr]

good answer , maybe i g

[eager bone]

Thanks

[jovial zephyr]

it depends on situations ig

[eager bone]

Aye

If you're discussing opinions, then maybe it means I agree with you

[jovial zephyr]

100% agree with you

[boreal pewter]

"I'm like you" means I have something in common with you, we're similar in some ways

This isn't UK specific though, that's the basic meaning of it everywhere

If there's a UK specific usage then I haven't heard it, but I don't live in England so maybe there's something somewhere there I've just not heard 🤷

What context did you hear it in that made you think it can have a special other meaning?

[thorn hinge]

alc is true i have never heard that phrase before

[delicate herald]

You use the phrase "I'm like you" when you want to express that you have something in common with another person, or share some similarities.

For example:
A - "Ugh, why do we have to get up so early?"
B - "I'm like you, I would rather sleep in"

[eager bone]

Totally on point

[tough wolf]

which one isthe correct one, "i hope you dont mind me saying this" or "i hope you dont mind my saying this"?

[mint seal]

The first one is correct.

[tough wolf]

i thought so, never heard people use the second one, but in my english course, they use the first one

[mint seal]

It's wrong to use the second one because "my" would only be used if you were in possession of an object

[candid gyro]

Does these sound native-like?

1. "Thanks for being all ears."
2. "Thanks for being willing to listen to my problems."
3. "Thanks for lending me an ear/ears."

[mint seal]

They seem quite unnatural to me, except for the first one

[candid gyro]

Is there perhaps something better? or is the first is the most commonly used?

[thorn hinge]

i mean if you are writing an email then yes

but normally id just say "thanks for listening"

[candid gyro]

What do I use in a casual conversation

[thorn hinge]

or "thanks for hearing me out"

[mint seal]

I'd use whatever @thorn hinge had just wrote

They're most commonly used

[candid gyro]

I want to emphasize that they gave an ear to my problems

do you understand what I mean

[mint seal]

You could also say something like "Thanks for being here with me"

[candid gyro]

so this is the story.. she just came, just read my status.. she wanted to listen to my problems

she asked "what's the problem?" but not in English

I want to thank her for that

being willing to lend an ear

not for the act she listening my whole story

[mint seal]

"Thanks for checking up on me, I really appreciate it"

Will this one work for ya?

[candid gyro]

Ok this sounds what I am look for

[candid gyro]

yes, thanks!

[mint seal]

no worries :3

[tough wolf]

cmiiw, but sometimes people use the word "could" to be polite, not saying that its less likely its going to happen, right?

im super confused with the use of can and could, also will and would

[mint seal]

Yeah

People use it politely

[tough wolf]

also, i want to know, does "could" mean not likely, or is it just less likely than can, what i mean is, according to grammarly website, you use "could" to be more realistic

[mint seal]

Could means that it's 'most likely' and yes, you can be more realistic this way because not everything is certain but neither is it impossible

[eager bone]

"Thanks for lending me an ear" is good, I guess

[tough wolf]

then, does that mean the word "can" mean almost 100% likely?

[civic mulch]

Not necessarily, it can just express possibility, it doesnt necessarily mean it's 'most likely', but rather that it's likely or possible

[mint seal]

Yeah

mm, interesting

[thorn hinge]

it is a joke in america especially among english teachers and old people to be like "i dont know... can you" in response to someone asking if they can have/do something

so take heed

[eager bone]

It depends on what you prefer

[reef lion]

Hi,. are you talking about modals of deduction?

[thorn hinge]

i mean what do you use in your native language?

[eager bone]

If you're more comfortable on using slang, then you use it

[thorn hinge]

you should be yourself

[tough wolf]

okay guys, thanks for the help!

[eager bone]

But it's important that you know the context. If you're in academia or any formal settings, then of course, you use the formal speech

[thorn hinge]

i always default to slang/informal language because it flows so much better

stuff like "gotta" and "kinda"

[eager bone]

Yes, me too

[eager bone]

Aye, it's informal but that's what I use in everyday convos

[thorn hinge]

dont get me wrong learning formal language is essential, but the average english speaker is not "high class". casual or even informal language is way more efficient and useful for relating to people and conveying ideas to the widest possible range of people

[eager bone]

In formal settings like business meetings, academic presentations, or official correspondence, using formal language is usually more appropriate.
In everyday conversations with friends and family, slang might be more comfortable and effective for conveying ideas quickly and in a relatable manner.
But sometimes, a mix of formal language and occasional slang can strike a balance between professionalism and approachability.

Formal language tends to be more precise and less ambiguous, which can help prevent misunderstandings. It conveys a sense of respect and seriousness and can be more suitable for accurately conveying intricate details. Using formal language can show respect to individuals you might not be familiar with or those in positions of authority.

[supple holly]

Philosophisticated discussion

[vale basin]

As the others said, that all comes down to the setting you put yourselves in. If say we're talking about symposium, business conference, or international assemblies between those in the cohort, then that rigid formality we've all been taught would do.

In the more casual setting however, using some fancy words out of the dictionary would come across as pretentious and slightly obnoxious. Not saying colloquium nor formality is the key, but should the full prowess in English be what you yearn for, learning which register to stick to for different settings is the key

[eager bone]

On the other hand, ** slang** is often more relaxed and can make conversations feel more casual and friendly. It can help you connect with certain age groups or communities by showing that you're familiar with their language and culture.

[eager bone]

Yes, totally.

[vale basin]

Frankly speaking I'm all for learning slangs and sounding "cool", but there're certainly that line you should never cross especially if you're in like an academic meeting where all your peers are well-known disgruntled savants.

Not to mention this wave of "Learning xyz expressions to sound native" can be misleading at the time given there're idioms that are so oblique in usage that I'm sure 99% will have to ask you to explain what in the blue blaze that means

[vale basin]

when you train...young one, you'll soon get it lol

[late topaz]

But... that is the point they're trying to make...
(and exceptions are everywhere)

[eager bone]

Yes, that's why you can use formal and slang lingua together to appear professional but more approachable

Woah woah, is this a debate, guys? 😆

I like debates

Our point is, the use of formal language and slang depends on the social context, the nature of the conversation, and your relationship with the person you're communicating with.

[vale basin]

Elegance is kinda a matter of subjectivity not gonna lie. Like in some proses in literary works, using jargons such as sesquipedalian, moniker, reconnoitre, coruscating, uxoricide, cranium, coda, or denouement could albeit making the verbiage lengthy make that soliloquy of yours more eloquent and appealing.

Try shoehorning them in say memorandum of understanding however and expect bewilderment

[eager bone]

I, for one, am very bewildered right now

That's so many difficult words at once

[mortal citrus]

shoehorning got me

😭

[vale basin]

why though? Isn't that common of the word lol

[vale basin]

took me a while to retrieve though cause they're rarely used anywhere except in GRE vocab

[eager bone]

From the start, sesquipedalian did it to me.

[mortal citrus]

That’s an insane wors

[eager bone]

😂

[mortal citrus]

word

[eager bone]

What's GRE?

[vale basin]

https://www.800score.com/gre-prep/prep-guide/gre-vocabulary-list/

It's that exam anyone looking to do graduate programme in the US normally must take

and GRE verbal exam is one of them

[mental terrace]

is that not GED ?

[vale basin]

notorious for esoteric and exotic vocabs questionably used among academia

[eager bone]

Say, I use sesquipedalian, moniker, reconnoitre, coruscating, uxoricide, cranium, coda, denouement, or albeit when I talk casually, all jaws would be hanging open. 🤣

[eager bone]

Oh, I'm still a grade 12 senior high student.

[vale basin]

others would probably be like "ok mate who you're trying to impress?"

[eager bone]

I'm not familiar with that

[mortal citrus]

Lmfaoo

[eager bone]

TOTALLY!!!

🤣🤣

[mortal citrus]

i wouldn’t even use these words in formal situations

[vale basin]

yh I know it's biting back on me because of those words I used but I ONLY used them as an example. And for one I'm that prick with tendency to use less lexically common words in my own post/diary

I just loved new vocab

[eager bone]

When they ask me that, I'll look at my boyfriend. LOL

[mortal citrus]

that’s full-blown formal lmfao

[mortal citrus]

Lmaoo

[vale basin]

like flipping through GRE vocab list is bit of my guilty pleasure

to sort of brush up vocab that I used to know

[mortal citrus]

tbh that’s good

[vale basin]

just so I could stand tall and proud alongside natives

[mortal citrus]

😂

[eager bone]

Me, too. Whenever I encounter some when I read, I always write them down on my DIY dictionary.

[dense oasis]

albeit is common

[vale basin]

Add "Speak with confidence" into the mix

[vale basin]

yh in an academic work + discussion, it's a really elegant way of saying despite something

[eager bone]

Aye, but not with my friends

We only speak English here during English classes

[dense oasis]

what does here mean for you

[mortal citrus]

albeit = albert😳

[eager bone]

I'm from the Philippines

[dense oasis]

oh

sounds nice, i love philippines

never seen irl but i wanna, everyone is just so kind and so good at english, you probably are too

[eager bone]

Nahhhh

English here is taught since elementary

And when we talk, there's always English words mixed

[dense oasis]

ive technically been learning english since i turned like 9, now am a bit beyond 18, so this would equal to nine years, but in reality most of that was nothing, i started really learning once i turned ~14, before i had not been able to say "an apple is a fruit"

so we have it too, since elementary (poland)

[eager bone]

I'm just a little good at it 'cause I have undergone trainings in my journalism club

[dense oasis]

yeah ive never heard pure tagalog tbh

[eager bone]

Yes, that's why it's kinda an issue for some here.

Because they think we should embrace more of our language

But they can't do anything about it 'cause millenials and teenagers nowadays prefer it more

[dense oasis]

lets wait something like 50 years and if the earth is not destroyed yet, then philippines is gonna be just another english-speaking country with natives lol

[dense oasis]

Yeah and i bet english pays more right, like peso is worth less than a dollar or a pound so it is worth speaking english more

[supple holly]

I hope one day to reach your level, grandmaster

[eager bone]

Even babies here speak english because of TV influence

[dense oasis]

english brainwashing since the first days on the planet

[eager bone]

Peppa Pig!!!

[dense oasis]

snorting and grunting

[late topaz]

I'm okay wit that

[dense oasis]

and am not

[jovial zephyr]

thanks bro, i mean it is old idiom or slang? why ppl never heard of it LOL

[supple holly]

I think it's just a different way of saying something. Like an expression. Not an idiom or a slang, because it says exactly what the words mean

I am like you = I think/eat/live/whatever like you do

The opposite is "I am different from you". You wouldn't consider that an idiom or a slang, would you? So neither would here

[jovial zephyr]

https://tenor.com/view/annoyed-me-gif-13826549

[dusk fossil]

I'm reading the "Absence" section and I don't understand what inversion blocked means, what is it about?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_inversion#cite_note-1

[late topaz]

Maybe you should look into servers dedicated to linguistics.

They'll give you youtube channels, textbooks, guides and everything

even a pamphlet

if you ask nicely

[delicate herald]

It's an idiomatic expression

[dusk fossil]

@late topaz so you don't know either?

[late topaz]

I am not a linguist

although, to be honest, I havent looked it up yet

[dusk fossil]

@late topaz You misunderstood me. the offer was blocked, what does it mean? wrong ?

[thorn hinge]

right, so basically it means that the second half of the sentence negates the negative inversion

[delicate herald]

It means that you can't grammatically front there

Sorry

I mean you can't make an inversion there

[mortal citrus]

fronted clauses like the ones u see in the examples block a negative inversion from happening even though there are negations like “nobody” and “nothing”

[dusk fossil]

@thorn hinge @delicate herald @mortal citrus there are no inversions, and also indicates that it cannot be done here. did I understand correctly?
1.When nothing happened were we surprised. - Negative inversion blocked

[mortal citrus]

negative inversion blocked means it cannot be done there yes

[delicate herald]

So when you front normally, you would inverse the subject-verb order. But when the clause you want to front (put in the beginning) contains a negation you don't inverse the subject-verb order

[mortal citrus]

blocked = no negative inversion

[mortal citrus]

@dusk fossil

that’s really well put

[dusk fossil]

I didn't understand any of this.who comes forward, who is behind whom, nothing is clear.
Can you rephrase with an example?

I see blocking here when there is an auxiliary verb. and I don't understand why. what's the matter?
Because nobody tried, nobody learned anything.
Because nobody tried did nobody learn anything. - Negative inversion blocked
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_inversion#cite_note-1

[thorn hinge]

so basically

well

[delicate herald]

@dusk fossilDo you understand the concept of subject, verb, object? And sentence clauses? So I can formulate a better response for you

[dusk fossil]

Yes. but the fact is that I translate through a translator, so the answer may be yours to become ineffective

(

[delicate herald]

Try this website first. It has some more clear explanations and examples than the wikipedia page. Saves me alot of typing if it helps
http://random-idea-english.blogspot.com/2011/01/making-sense-of-negative-inversion.html

[dusk fossil]

@delicate herald why are you offering me a test and not an article on how to do it right and the difference

[thorn hinge]

i think the point of this section is to show that there are exceptions to the negative inversion rule (negative + auxiliary + subject) and that these exceptions are poorly understood. In these cases I noted that the inversion could only occur if the order was switched to (negative + subject + auxiliary).

all i know for sure is that the sentences sound wack when the inversion is blocked. like they literally do not make sense

so maybe its just a case of "you'll know when it doesnt make sense" which really just comes from experience

idk for sure

cause the article says "An imperfectly-understood aspect of negative inversion concerns fronted expressions containing a negation that do not elicit negative inversion"

as in the blocking aspect is not understood

by anyone

lol

[dusk fossil]

@thorn hinge With no jacket did Bill go out in the cold. - Negative inversion blocked
Can you tell me why here blocked?

[alpine pier]

Humans are pumping water out of the ground faster than it ________.
A. can’t be replenished B. can be replenished
C. can replenish D. can have been replenished

guys help me with this one

[eager bone]

The correct answer is B. can be replenished.

[alpine pier]

why it isn't C

idk but I think it's not passive voice

[thorn hinge]

yea so i’m saying that i think the point of the “absence” section was to show that there are exceptions and that these exceptions are not understood. so basically we don’t really know why it’s blocked, we just know that it is because the sentence does not make any sense when using the normal rules of inversion

[eager bone]

The word "be" is used before "replenished" to form what's called the passive voice. In your sentence, "can be replenished" emphasizes the process of water being replenished rather than who or what is doing the replenishing.
For example:

Active Voice: They are replenishing the water.
Passive Voice: The water can be replenished.

In the active voice, the focus is on "they" doing the action. In the passive voice, the focus shifts to the water and the process of replenishment. The passive construction is achieved by using the auxiliary verb "be" followed by the past participle "replenished." This helps convey the idea that water has the capacity to be replenished, even though the sentence is centered on the rate of pumping.

Option C (can replenish) doesn't match the sentence structure. We need the auxiliary verb "be" to form the passive construction "can be replenished."

[supple holly]

Raini getting a education

[alpine pier]

ohhhh what if the subject is "nature"? The nature can replenish or can be replenished?

[dusk fossil]

@thorn hinge By the way, yes, I inattentively read this part. Thanks very much, for everything

[alpine pier]

mhm

[dusk fossil]

@late topaz @delicate herald @mortal citrus thanks

[delicate herald]

There are explanations as well. Did you read them?

[eager bone]

Both phrases are grammatically correct, but they convey slightly different meanings.

1. Nature can replenish. (This implies that nature itself has the inherent ability to renew or restore its resources over time. It suggests that natural processes and cycles, like water cycles, nutrient cycles, and natural regeneration, can lead to the restoration of resources without direct human intervention.)

[dusk fossil]

ye, can you quote the snippet? pleas

[eager bone]

2. Nature can be replenished. (This phrase implies that external forces or actions, possibly including human intervention, can help renew or restore nature's resources. It suggests that while nature has some ability to regenerate on its own, there might be instances where human efforts can play a role in aiding the process of replenishment.)

Both phrases acknowledge the concept of resource renewal in nature, but the first one emphasizes nature's independent ability, while the second one allows for the possibility of human involvement or assistance in the replenishment process.

[alpine pier]

I got it, it's so helpful. Thanks a lot

[eager bone]

You're welcome. I learn, too, at the same time. I was getting confused, too 😂

[alpine pier]

lmao it's so so confusing. However, thanks to you, it's easier for me

[eager bone]

How do you pronounce 'pinged'?

as 'pinch' or 'pingd'?

😂

[delicate herald]

Pingd

[dusk fossil]

@delicate herald ye, can you quote the snippet? pleas

[quick mason]

What's the difference between surge and upsurge? I know they both mean an abrupt and usually hefty increase in something but are there any nuances between those 2 words? Thanks.

[hazy bramble]

does seeing one's wrong answers to a reading exercise help for doing later exercises?

[forest solar]

Negative instances of a concept can help as much as positive instances of a concept. It just takes a little longer to understand the concept using negative instances.

[tidal lily]

Good observation.

Infact the science syllabus is also structured in the similar pattern. They teach us early, outdated, wrong theories first so to develop a better understanding and later on lead us to modern day accepted and proved theories

[forest solar]

Is a proved theory a theory or a fact?

[tidal lily]

A scientific theory

[hazy bramble]

not sure exactly how but alright ill take it

[forest solar]

Can i dm you with a demonstration

[hazy bramble]

feel free to

[serene plinth]

Really?

I'm a science student.. They teach us outdated Laws only cuz it's in history and tells us about the evolution of science.

How human thinking and discovery evolved is apparently important and so are laws which have been proven wrong

[wintry haven]

Guys I too have a question

What's the difference between shun, avoid and other synonyms

Also in what context should I be using "to shun" instead of the others

Sorry but another question popped up

How would you guys describe something that lacks flair?

Would It be lackluster?

[mental terrace]

to shun is to have a community or group essentially kick you out

i think shun can be used amongst individuals but it's mostly used ad a synonym for outcasted

[wintry haven]

The dictionary Is more vague actually

[mental terrace]

i think just boring or dull would be fine

i think lackluster would be ok but that would imply that it's expected to be better

[wintry haven]

Mh ok

Ty

[mental terrace]

np

[steady jacinth]

Helllllllooooooo

Everyone

[vale basin]

hi there

[mossy birch]

hi all, i keep messing up when to use "accepted" vs "acceptable"

can i say "we will speak about many topics in English but Portuguese is also acceptable too"?

or should i use "accepted" there?

[delicate herald]

Acceptable is correct, but remove the “too” at the end. Either you write “but Portuguese is also acceptable” or “but Portuguese is acceptable too”, but not with both.

[mossy birch]

ohhhh ok thx so much!!

[restive seal]

Hello I have a question about the verb brush up. I saw that you can use it for example for :"I have to brush up my Spanish" but can i use it for "brush up an object" or something like that ?

[dense perch]

I think when you use it for an object it might change the meaning of the phrase .

[dense perch]

I'm not sure you know , just tried to share it with u

[restive seal]

Okay thanks a lot, i would like to use it for "cleaning up an object" but I dont know if its mean something

So I'm waiting for other answers

[dense perch]

What you mean with an object ?

[restive seal]

For example that would be : "Today I brush up my old table"

[obsidian lodge]

That doesn't work

[restive seal]

Its only for knowledge ?

[obsidian lodge]

The phrase "brush up" is kinda slang for refining a skill

[dense perch]

I don't think so mate

[restive seal]

Okay thank you now im fixed

[obsidian lodge]

Ok nice

[dense perch]

Great

[vale basin]

"Today I clean/wipe my old table" would sound more natural. Brush the table gave me the impression that you were using that contraption as the canvas substitute of sort

[restive seal]

Yes I know its not the main thing that i would say in this situation but i was just thinking if it was possible to use it in a sentence

[vale basin]

You could also say "Brush sth off the table" (correct me if I'm wrong) too if you really wanna include the word "brush" in the sentence

[restive seal]

I dont particularly like this word but thank you x)

[noble wasp]

when should i use "except" and "except for"? ik what they mean, but idk in which cases i should choose one over the other

[dense perch]

Well explained

[tepid mica]

how is college in the usa? 🧐

[split gust]

What is the difference between no more and anymore

[dense perch]

No more it's like when you tell someone that he should stop doing something , like " no more pasta at lunchtime" .

But if you want to use anymore the phrase will change to " i don't want pasta at lunch anymore"

I tried my best , I'm still practicing too.

[candid gyro]

Does this sound native-like already?

"I stumbled on my own foot and fell."

or is it tripped? im confused

[delicate herald]

Stumbling means that you somehow are walking unsteadily or that you need to shuffle your feet to not lose balance. Tripping is literally when you catch your foot on something and lose balance.

You can stumble after you trip on something.

[candid gyro]

I checked dictionary, and it says stumble can also mean to trip

[delicate herald]

Indeed, but in his example you wouldn't say "stumbled over my own foot"

[candid gyro]

why

[delicate herald]

Because it sounds wrong and can be misinterpreted. I guess you could still say it and be grammatically correct, but it would sound strange to native speakers.

[candid gyro]

are you native speaker

[split gust]

It's perfect, thanks for telling me😊

[delicate herald]

Just because a word could have a certain meaning, doesn't mean that it will be interpreted that way all the time. Context matters.

[candid gyro]

when does stumble mean to trip then?

can you provide examples please?

I asked chatgpt, and it replied this

Yes, "stumble on something" can indeed mean to trip on something. While "stumble" can be used metaphorically to refer to making a mistake or encountering difficulties, in a literal sense, it can also mean to trip or lose one's balance due to an obstacle or uneven surface.

So, if you say, "I stumbled on something," it can be interpreted as "I tripped on something" or "I lost my balance because of something." The phrase suggests a physical action of unexpectedly encountering an object or obstacle that caused you to stumble or trip.

[delicate herald]

ChatGPT is correct. I would just add a slight distinction that might help you understand better. When you say trip, it is implied that you caught your foot on something.

[candid gyro]

does stumble not imply that? if yes, doesn't that invalidate the def where stumble means trip?

[delicate herald]

Welcome to English 🙂

[candid gyro]

so?