📚｜english-questions

[boreal ingot]

Oh, I was actually confused with statues, sorry. Brits say stay tuhs and Americans say either but tend toward stah tuhs.

I confused the two words and thought this applies to data for some reason

It's alright, you helped plenty by providing that it sounds British to you

[boreal ingot]

Is this an Irish or Canadian accent 😅
https://youtu.be/TQ8YkstQ4dE?t=267

I'm really bad at telling accents apart

Besides English English and American English for the most part

[boreal ingot]

@gaunt mango can you tell? Sorry to bother you

[flat rune]

.

[verbal heron]

What does this second line mean?

[sacred mirage]

Im pretty sure its Irish

[boreal ingot]

Thnak youu

[boreal ingot]

bisection is when you cut something into two halves

logging is cutting down tress and cutting them up

that involves sharp machinery

the children were bisected by an accedent related to logging

if one of those children is someone's sibling

they're 'half a sibling'

a half sibling

literally

[verbal heron]

I see, thanks

[flat rune]

that can’t be Irish. That’s Scottish

[boreal ingot]

How do you tell them apart

[flat rune]

well for starters I grew up in Ireland

and I was born there

Plus my chemistry teacher is Scottish

And she sounds just like her

[boreal ingot]

Alrighty, thank you

do you know what exatly sets them apart?

Or just the native speaker intuition lol?

[flat rune]

nah im no accents expert but I can say that the way they pronounce ‘look’ is the biggest giveaway

[flat rune]

I’d say that helps too

[boreal ingot]

I see i see

lol

thank you :>

[lost karma]

Did any of you try an idea of using a good text to speech ai? I'm looking for a good way to hear excellent pronunciation.

[gaunt mango]

Unfortunately most tts, even AI enhanced tts doesn’t have very good pronunciation most of the time. A good way to gain natural English pronunciation is just listening to English speakers speak on TV, video games, audio books and whatnot.

[sacred mirage]

surprisingly the siri ai is really good at pronunciation

[lone belfry]

Hey can I ask a question here?

I met a sentence “Figuratively, one’s bed can also be one’s tomb where one sleeps ( ) peace forever. So the answer is “in”, but I can’t quite tell the difference between “in” and “with”, I think they are so familiar.🥹

[gaunt mango]

“With” usually connects objects or terms by putting them side by side.
“She was with him all day”
“He walked with his dog”

“In” (as a preposition) generally describes something as within a defined boundary or space.
“He slept in the car that night”
“Figuratively, one’s bed can also be one’s tomb where one sleeps in peace forever.”
In is used metaphorically here to describe the person in this situation as being “in peace” or “in a state of undisturbed or tranquil space”

[lone belfry]

Ohhh thank you, I understand.

[gaunt mango]

We wouldn’t use “with” because “with” generally implies association and accompaniment, which isn’t the goal of ‘resting in peace’

[gaunt mango]

Ooops!!! I’m sorry I didn’t see this!!
I got off both times before I had the chance to see your message!!

Your first example:
“I wiped off the dust from the desk”
How a most would write it:
“I wiped the dust off the desk”
Why?
Your initial sentence is grammatically correct, however it’s common for phrasal verbs to be split when involving a direct object making the sentence flow more naturally.

Your second example:
“I wiped away the leaves that were on my road”
How most would write it:
“I swept away the leaves that were on my road”
Why?
How you used your phrasal verb was correct but most people would use “swept” (past tense of sweep) here because wiping is generally considered a smaller, more controlled motion while sweeping is more often associated with brushes or brooms

Your third example:
“I wiped him out so that he loses”
(This sentence is inherently redundant because you’re essentially stating that he lost twice! I will change it a bit in my sentence)
How most would write it;
“I wiped him out.”
You did a good job with the phrasal verb here, the only thing is like I mentioned before, you stated that he lost twice which is redundant.

Your fourth example:
“I wiped up the water that I dropped”
How most would write it:
“I wiped(I would preferably use cleaned here, but wiped works too) up the water that I spilled”
Why?
Using “spilled” instead of “dropped” more accurately conveys the situation. You used the phrasal verb correctly though.

Hope this helps!

[verbal heron]

Does adding "before the batttle" to "I wiped him out" give the original sentence a different meaning?

[gaunt mango]

Yes, by adding “before the battle”to the sentence you’re just placing the event to happen before the battle

“Before the battle, I wiped him out so that he couldn’t compete”

If there is context and the reader knows there is a battle and you say “I wiped him out”, the reader would assume you wiped him out presently

[verbal heron]

K thanks

What is the difference between " " and ' '?

[frank roost]

Double quotation marks (") are used to indicate what a person is saying.
Ex: The student replied, "My dog ate my homework."

It can also be used when a word is being used in a sarcastic or ironic way.
Ex: I just "loved" the way it rained at the beach the entire time on our vacation.

A single quotation (') is basically used to indicate quotations inside of a double quotation.
Ex: The student said, "I told the teacher 'thank you' after she gave me a cookie for my good behavior."

[verbal heron]

And to specify unique things, do you have to write its name inside a double quotation or a single quotation?

[flat rune]

Tysm for replying to me

[verbal heron]

@flat rune Hello

[boreal ingot]

Brits use single

Americans use double

Then inside of those, it's the other way around

Americans use single inside double

Brits use double inside single

[acoustic geyser]

This is so hassle, innit

[boreal ingot]

BrE:

In the interview, she disclosed that she may be working on a new album. After being asked whether she had anything in the works, she said, 'Yes, there's a chance you will be getting something this year', and she went on to hint at a new album multiple times throughout the interview.

AmE:

In the interview, she disclosed that she may be working on a new album. After being asked whether she had anything in the works, she said, "Yes, there's a chance you will be getting something this year," and she went on to hint at a new album multiple times throughout the interview.

As you can see, Americans also put commas inside the quote

Same with full stops

Brits only do that when it's part of the quoted material

If a comma or semicolon or colon, etc. is supposed to follow a quote that ends with a punctuation mark, it is removed

If I were to ask 'How do you play the piano?', would I get laughed at?
^

If I were to ask 'How do you play the piano?' would I get laughed at?
^

Even though a comma is supposed to be there

"Do you hate Brits?," she asked.
^

"Do you hate Brits?" she asked.
^

[boreal ingot]

Not really lol

[boreal ingot]

Btw, you should say 'This is such a hassle, innit', not 'This is so hassle, innit'

[twin crow]

If I were to say "His actions makes him the most unlikable character", would the subject verb agreement be between "his actions" and "makes"? And since it is plural I add the s or am I wrong?

[boreal ingot]

The verb has to agree with the subject. The subject is 'his actions'. However, the third-person plural conjugation is without an -s

[twin crow]

Thank you

[boreal ingot]

They make
The two make
His actions make
Those blue hats make

Etc.

[boreal ingot]

No problem

[acoustic geyser]

I thought hassle was an adj lol

[flat rune]

Hi

[wise anchor]

what am I supposed to do, I don't understand

what does claim/argument, evidence/support, and source mean

[flat rune]

What do*

Source means where does it come from

Evidence means a proof to explain your argument

And argument means that if you explain smth you must give an argument to prove that what u said is truthful

[wise anchor]

how, can you give an example

[acoustic geyser]

I saw an Englishman who said, "She is to me "
what does it mean "?

Like
Someone is to someone meaning

[flat rune]

Imagine having a document regarding the sport, if the question is for instance : Which sport is the most played, you're going to give the answer which is said inthe document but if the next question is justify your answer, you'll quote from the document some examples

[flat rune]

And for the evidence, you'll quote from the text as well but the evidence is going to be harder to find than the argument

Did u get it ?

[wise anchor]

yes, how about the source

the informations I need are all in one essay

[flat rune]

Informations*

[flat rune]

The source is written under the documenr

It will be like

Extract adapted from

[wise anchor]

like in the really end of the essay

[flat rune]

How long have you been learning english ?

[wise anchor]

I don't know, what i'm doing is a schoolwork

[wise anchor]

the essay is an excerpt

[gaunt mango]

“What does” is correct here

[gaunt mango]

“Information” is also correct here

[flat rune]

He said what does claim/argument evidence/support mean

It can be replaced by

What do they mean

[flat rune]

As far as i know information i need are is wrong

[gaunt mango]

Information is an uncountable noun in English. Always

[gaunt mango]

Yes but in his original sentence he said “does” and that is correct

“The information I need are is”

The only time the word “informations” is used, is typically in legal documents with a lot of jargon, because it refers to multiple formal charges or indictments.
“The prosecutor filed multiple informations against the defendant”

Even then it’s rarely used

[acoustic geyser]

Hello

[acoustic geyser]

What does "she is to me" mean?

[gaunt mango]

Depends on context

Can you provide the full sentence?

[supple mica]

@gaunt mango so u are an english teacher right ?

[gaunt mango]

Ex:
“is she important to you?”
“She is to me”

[gaunt mango]

It’s in discussion, hopefully soon yes!

[supple mica]

can i ask u some questions pleaassseee

[gaunt mango]

Go ahead

[supple mica]

when do we use " had " and " has " and " have "

example

" i had an exam "

" he has a book "

" he have a book "

so when do we use them ?

[gaunt mango]

Has, had and have are all forms of the verb “to have” which just indicates possession of

“Had” is the past tense form, while “has” and “have” are present tense

[supple mica]

ye ik ik

but when do we use them

[gaunt mango]

When you say “I had an exam” you are saying you had the exam before

[supple mica]

oh alr

and has ?

[gaunt mango]

Present form of having

“He has a book”

It indicates that in this present moment, he is holding or is in possession of a book

It’s a third person singular verb

[supple mica]

oh ok thanks

[acoustic geyser]

I think I saw it yesterday, but I think I could find it

[supple mica]

and yeah

when do way say " would " and " could "

[gaunt mango]

Would and could are modal verbs. They basically talk about possibility and permission

Would can be used in hypothetical situations, as well as ‘future in the past’ scenarios, habitual actions and even polite requests

“She would have gone on the trip if she had more money” (hypothetical)
“She said she would call him later”
(Future in the past)
“Before the pandemic, we would go to the beach every summer”
(In the past habit)
“Would you like a drink with your meal?”
(Polite request)

Could is very similar, you can use it in past ability tenses, polite requests or asking permission, possibility and hypotheticals.
“When I was in high school, I could run 5 miles without tiring”
(Past ability)
“Could I borrow your pen?”
(Polite request)
“This could be the answer we have been looking for!”
(Possibility)
“If I tried harder, I could have gotten a higher score”
(Hypothetical)

[flat rune]

Yes i forgot that

[boreal ingot]

Nope

[acoustic geyser]

What's different between these sentences when we use them to give orders?
You are to give me that controller
You will give me that controller

[boreal ingot]

The slashes are kinda like 'or'

That's a better way to put it

Like, they're saying, take every option on its own, and tell me what it means

[supple mica]

i didnt understand 💀

can u explain more please

[flat rune]

Why can i understand almost everything on scriptures or listening to someone but i can't speak out loud?

It's just like i don't know ,i'm very at understanding grammar structures in a fast form and i'm also very good at listening to but i'm not able to spell the vocabulary i learned , does someone know how to go through this?

[acoustic geyser]

What is difference between need to and must?

[boreal ingot]

Haven't I already explained this to you?
#📚｜english-questions message

[gaunt mango]

“You are to give” is a lot more formal, and is also very confrontational. Sort of like someone who is a higher rank than you in a military system or organized group is giving you direct orders.
“You will give me” is less formal, and is closer to a parent scolding a child.

“You will give me” can also be a regular instruction.
“So when you get over here, you will give me the key”

“You are to give” can also technically be used as a future instruction but it’s still very formal

[boreal ingot]

You were to have killed the target
Do you think this means that you weren't able to kill the target? Sorry to bother

[gaunt mango]

“Were to have” is a rare construction in English, most people would write it as “you were supposed to kill the target” (less formal) or “you were expected to kill the target” (more formal)
Otherwise yeah, it means you were unable to kill the target

[boreal ingot]

Yea, I know it's rare, I'm just curious about the seldom-used 'Subject + [be] + [full infinitive]' constructions. Thank you for confirming

[boreal ingot]

I'll try to put it in a sentence, does this work?

The the tree was to have been fell on the 23rd of Novermber, but a storm delayed the logging team.

(idk if 'logging team' is an actual thing lol)

[gaunt mango]

“The tree was to fall” works better here.

I don’t think “was to have been fell” is concise or even correct

[boreal ingot]

'fell' itself is a verb

it means to cut down a tree

I however did not know that the V3 of it is 'felled'

[gaunt mango]

Correct, fell is the past tense of fall

[boreal ingot]

I thought it was also 'fell'

[gaunt mango]

However ‘was to have been’ doesn’t seem right to me

[boreal ingot]

No it can also be a verb, like 'I fell a tree the other day'

[gaunt mango]

Oh I see what you mean

[boreal ingot]

I see my mistake was using 'fell' as the past form

[gaunt mango]

Right

[boreal ingot]

when it should have been 'felled'

[gaunt mango]

Here too

“I felled a tree the other day”

[acoustic geyser]

Sorry, I think I may forgot

[boreal ingot]

My apologies, would this sentence work now?

The tree was to have been felled on the 23rd of Novermber, but a storm delayed the logging team.

[gaunt mango]

“To fell” is also rather uncommon

[boreal ingot]

yea, so uncommon that I'm unfamiliar with its past tense

[gaunt mango]

“Was to have been” is combining future and past tense making it very awkward to think about or say

But it’s still technically correct

[boreal ingot]

Oh I see

And this means that there had been plans of felling the tree, but they didn't happen, right?

Ohhh I think this is passive voice?

[gaunt mango]

Correct

[gaunt mango]

Future in the past

Iirc

[boreal ingot]

Someone was to have felled the tree
the tree was to have been felled

That's passive voice!

[gaunt mango]

Correct

[boreal ingot]

I didn't even know we could use passive voice in this construction

This is so cool

I like this uncommon stuff lol

sortry im nerding out

[gaunt mango]

No that’s fine

[boreal ingot]

Thank you

[gaunt mango]

It’s cause of the “was”

[boreal ingot]

Ye makes sense

thank you for your help 💜

[boreal ingot]

Btw, this should be

I may have forgotten*

But yea, np

When you say

I may have forgotten
it's basically like saying 'It is possible that I forgot'. I think it's mainly a randabout way to say that you forgot

Just being kinda polite about it instead of directly saying it

[flat rune]

What does " I threw you off " mean ?

[verbal heron]

What is meant by "piety was exceeded only by his stinginess"? Here, do the words "piety" and "stinginess" have the usual meanings? Is the writer being sarcastic here or what?

[boreal ingot]

idk what else it could mean besides saying that he was very much pious, but above all he was a very stingy person

I do wonder what 'fur-trapping' means, though. If anything, that's the confusing bit of the text

[verbal heron]

Do you think sending the picture of the preceding sentence might do?

[flat rune]

.

[stone jackal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWiVAaP2evI

[boreal ingot]

what is this

hm, I don't get it but ig this is tghe menaing used here

I was talking about the other meaning

[stone jackal]

You asked about the third definition

[boreal ingot]

To fell a tree

[visual umbra]

"to throw someone off" can mean to make someone confused or distracted. But you need to look at a wider context.

[boreal ingot]

Wdym?

Was my explanation not satisfactory?

[cinder portal]

to surprise/confuse someone
For example: “Sorry, that totally threw me off. What was I saying?”

[stone jackal]

I thought that was a three. I don't even see 3 in the picture now that I look close.

[verbal heron]

You said you wondered what could be meant by "fur-trapping"

[boreal ingot]

Oh, sure. If the other sentence helps

do send it

If you could explain it that would be nice

[boreal ingot]

Oh alright lol

we were just discussing the sentence

The tree was to have been felled

[verbal heron]

of the Battle of Hastings.

[stone jackal]

Felling a tree is very common. What is the problem there?

[boreal ingot]

Oh, the verb 'to fell' isn't really used much as far as I know?

But we were mainly talking about the rare construction of the sentence

was to have been [verb-ed]

[verbal heron]

what is the past form of it?

[boreal ingot]

felled

I used to think it was also 'fell', but I was mistaken

Today I learnt that it's actually 'felled'

So yeah, you could say

The other day me and a few others felled a tree

or smth

[flat rune]

ty

[flat rune]

tyt

[verbal heron]

k

[flat rune]

ty*

[boreal ingot]

I don't see what 'fur-trapping' could mean tbh. I'm guessing they're calling him a hunter

[boreal ingot]

k?

[verbal heron]

ok*

[boreal ingot]

Such a curt response is sort of rude

[verbal heron]

Do you need the following lines?

[boreal ingot]

But whatever

[boreal ingot]

can you just show the paragraph lol

[verbal heron]

Ah, I see, what do you think "ok" should be replaced with for a reply that does not seem to be very short?

[boreal ingot]

Yeah, not sure what 'fur-trapping' means

the only possible meaning I can think of is that he is a hunter

He takes the fur of his killings or smth

[boreal ingot]

'alright, thanks' would probably do, lol

[stone jackal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSmtV83vhhM&t=66s

[boreal ingot]

Is this a southern accent?

Is it put-on?

[stone jackal]

I would not call that a southern accent. I think more mid-west or north-west.

[boreal ingot]

So, yeah, the video Bompasaurus has linked seems to explain that trapping is a trade of getting the pelts of animals. This definition of 'trapper' backs it up

So yeah, he is basically a hunter

but mainly for the fur

[boreal ingot]

Oh alrighty. Idk why I've always thought of that sort of speech as southern. I'm really bad at telling apart regional accents

The other day I wasn't sure if someone was Canadian or Irish and they turned out to be Scottish 😭

[winter comet]

Do you give me any suggestions ? How do I improve my english writing skill ?

[gaunt mango]

#🗃｜resources

[boreal ingot]

Any mistakes?

'HARK', he shouts aggressively. I wonder what it is that betided him that he should think it necessary to shout so. Whatever it may be, it must have left a gaping aperture in his sense of self and weakened his character incredibly for him to believe he must raise his voice lest he be ignored.

[verbal heron]

alr, thank you

[verbal heron]

That's right but what does that have to do with their being an apothecary?

or would they make potions from the animal-fur?

[boreal ingot]

They're just describing him ig

Saying things he does

[verbal heron]

Or maybe he trapps animals in his spare time.

[strange sage]

Hey y'all, I'm Jay... am 25

[boreal ingot]

Anyone? ^

[sacred mirage]

mary can you send me free money please and can you send some to @potent wasp too

[stone jackal]

I didn't read the whole thing. I stopped at "HARK", he shouts aggressively. The combination seems strange to me. If you said excitedly, or commandingly, I would not have stumbled.
Perhaps you might find using a corpus useful. It may or may not provide you with an answer to this specific question but I feel you will find it eye opening in many ways.

@boreal ingot

[boreal ingot]

What exactly seems strange? 'Hark' + 'aggressively'?

[stone jackal]

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+use+online+corpora&rlz=1C1OZZY_enUS1132US1133&oq=&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCQgBECMYJxjqAjIJCAAQIxgnGOoCMgkIARAjGCcY6gIyCQgCECMYJxjqAjIJCAMQIxgnGOoCMgkIBBAjGCcY6gIyCQgFECMYJxjqAjIJCAYQIxgnGOoCMgkIBxAjGCcY6gLSAQkzMzA3ajBqMTWoAgiwAgE&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:a98f4d28,vid:Xu3Ry6es9Y4,st:0

[boreal ingot]

I think I'll just change it to '"HARK", he calls', then

'HARK', he loudly calls, and I wonder what it is that betided him that he should think it necessary to shout so. Whatever it may be, it must have left a gaping aperture in his sense of self and weakened his character incredibly for him to believe he must raise his voice lest he be ignored.

Anything odd or a misatke?

[stone jackal]

It just does not feel right to me. If I was being aggressive I would not use the word hark. But I cannot say why. So I thought this tool might help shed light on it and other questions you might have.

[boreal ingot]

Yea, thank you

I don't have much experince with the word

so I don't have a good intuition for how it's used

[stone jackal]

Hark and loudly ring very true to me.

[boreal ingot]

Any other bits stand out/are outright wrong?

[stone jackal]

I am looking. Remember, I am slow on the uptake. lol

[boreal ingot]

Oh, sorry 😅

[stone jackal]

HARK', he loudly calls.
I wonder what it is that betided him that he should think it necessary to shout so. Whatever it may be, it must have left a gaping aperture in his sense of self and weakened his character incredibly for him to believe he must raise his voice lest he be ignored.
... That is all that I would change.

Just making it into two sentences and I guess, two paragraphs if I read it in a book. Remember, I am just an engineer, not an English major or linguist.

he calls loudly seem more up to date, but I think you like to go for the older more classical feel.

[boreal ingot]

I see, thanks! One question I had was if it should be 'Whatever it may have been' or 'Whatever it may be'

[stone jackal]

If you said he calls loudly, then it would seem odd to use the word betided.

[boreal ingot]

mhm, I like that style more, though I struggle to write in it

[stone jackal]

Well in my opinion you said ... what it is that betided him ... so I would pair that with ... whatever it may be.
If you said ... what is is that may have betided him .... then I would go with ... whatever it may have been.

I think I rely on my feel because I have been around so long and am not yet senile. Well, at least I don't think that I am quite yet. lol

[boreal ingot]

Alrighty, thank you :>

[stone jackal]

You are quite welcome. I am not always right but I do try my best to be helpful.

[boreal ingot]

Hey, do you know if progeny and offspring are strictly biological?

Sorry for bothering you

[boreal ingot]

Though not one of her progeny, my mother loved me dearly.

[upper shadow]

Though it's not technically incorrect, typically it's only biological. In the sentence you provided above it works, but is used rarely.

[boreal ingot]

Thank you!

[upper shadow]

No problem!

[boreal ingot]

May I ask one thing, 'offspring' are direct children, while 'progeny' is your entire line of descent, right?

[upper shadow]

Progeny can be used for a line of descendants and direct children, doesn't need to be the entire line. However offspring is only immediate descendants.

[flat rune]

descendants mean?

[boreal ingot]

Thank you, understood

[boreal ingot]

Your children and your children's children, and their children, and the children of those, etc.

Those all together are your descendants

[flat rune]

ty😊

[upper shadow]

Like a family tree

[lone belfry]

Hey guys, can anyone help me with the difference between while and but? I tried to google it but I can’t quite understand the difference 🥲 Especially this sentence “the virtuous man cherishes a respect for the law, while the vile man cherishes generous treatment.”

I feel like “but” can work in this sentence too

[nimble phoenix]

Hi everyone, can i learn english without grammar? please someone tell me.

[lone belfry]

What do you mean?

[green stream]

No you can't

[nimble phoenix]

But google is saying "Yes it's possible"

[flat rune]

he doesn't want to learn any kind of tenses

[nimble phoenix]

I hate grammar

[prisma forum]

I also hate the grammar

[tidal lily]

You can learn any language if you're born or atleast raised in such an environment that everyone around you would only use that language.

Up until modern education (schooling system) became part of our lives, most of people weren't going to schools but they were fluent in their mother tongue.

Tldr: if it's your mother tongue, yes.

[nimble phoenix]

Okay

I guess i have to learn grammar

[tidal lily]

Yes

[prisma forum]

Sometimes learning the language it needs to make your daily life based on the what language your learning

[tidal lily]

And learn it in english to english. Not local language to english.
It'll be more helpful

[tidal lily]

What

[lone belfry]

Can you help me with this?🥹

[acoustic geyser]

What's different between these sentences?
She prefer sleeping to studying
She prefer to sleep rather than study

[flat rune]

different bro

[mossy field]

yea man England is confusing, both seems to be interchangeable

[tidal lily]

She prefers to sleep over studying

[tidal lily]

But is used for contradictory sentences. Above example is not contradictory at all. It describes two completely different characteristics.

[flat rune]

Everybody gangsta until english question

[rapid bison]

😭

[hollow magnet]

Hello guys

[tepid bough]

nah rather than is alr

[tepid bough]

first one is for affirmation, second is for comparison

[tepid bough]

theoretically yes, but you will only be able to learn the vocabulary, not the whole language

if you just want to learn English for basic conversation, that will be ok

but trust me, grammar will help you a lot

[crimson vortex]

Hello guys

I will appreciate it if anyone finally explains to me what is affection. Is it love or manifesting (showing) love or what?

And also, what is affirmation

[tepid bough]

it is a feeling of liking for a person or a place

[tepid bough]

a sign of sth that is true ig

[rapid bison]

// poll:
do you most often say "biweekly" to mean
1. once per two weeks;
2. twice per week;
3. both at once, equally, or
4. none at all?

[sly pier]

Twice a week, and most people I know use it in that sense.

If you wanted to say once per every 2 weeks, most people would say "fortnightly"

[rapid bison]

very interesting that y'all would avoid "semi-weekly". 👀

[rapid bison]

14 days our beloved 👍

[graceful bone]

Grammar question

1. Where I live, it was 1am
   Or
2. It was 1am where I live

[tepid bough]

the second one is more common

[graceful bone]

What would be the best in formal and informal cases?

[tidal lily]

Both above sentences have grammatical errors. I just provided an errorless sentence.

Coming back to your response, yeah, rather than is as much alright as much over is

[tepid bough]

i haven’t seen the first one b4. i think the second one will be suitable for informal ( or formal idk )

[tepid bough]

yea ig it is because i haven’t seen over before

[graceful bone]

Ty mate

[acoustic geyser]

I wonder if these sentences are correct: She has just seen him (an action in the past relevant to the present). She just saw him (an action in the past that isn't relevant to the present).

I just saw a British who used "just" with the past simple, so I wonder if they can use both forms of tenses with "just".

[graceful bone]

"After u watch the film tell me your opinion about it"

Is this the proper manner?

[tidal lily]

When we use simple present tense we can use just + v1 and just + v2 as well.

She just saw him = she just see him

But she just saw him is more popular

[flat rune]

The committe __ divided on the decision

options - is ; are ;were ;has

My teacher tolld that 'is' is the correct ans

But it doesnt feel right

[thorn condor]

committee noun /kəˈmɪti/ [countable + singular or plural verb]

I feel like they're all correct unless there was provided more context

[flat rune]

I'd correct this by After watching the film tell me your opinionabout it

Correct me if i am wrong

[boreal ingot]

Does this also apply to biannually?

[boreal ingot]

I would say is or were

I'm more inclined to say were

Hm or are

All three would work

But I would choose either were or are

They highlight the fact of the committee comprising multiple individuals

And as there is a division between the individuals, I find it more agreeable to use a plural verb, to not treat them as one unit but as multiple

So yeah, 'is' would be correct, 'are' or 'were' would be better (depending on the time you mean)

[acoustic geyser]

What's the difference between these sentence when we use to talk about a suggestion?
We should take a lift
We could take a lift

[graceful bone]

How could I correct you if idk either?

But tysm mate

[boreal ingot]

And 'has' sounds odd. It is grammatical, but they're trying to use 'divided' adjectively

[flat rune]

I was speaking to the natives

[boreal ingot]

I think your sentence was fine

[boreal ingot]

It sounds okay. There is no issues :p

[graceful bone]

Grammatically good?

[boreal ingot]

We should take a lift - it would be better if we took a lift. Taking a lift is a good idea, and I think it's the option we better choose.

We could take lift - shows taking a lift as an available option. Doesn't suggest it's best we take a lift, but rather highlights it as a possibility

[boreal ingot]

Yup

[boreal ingot]

Just add a comma after 'film'

[flat rune]

To me it's better to say after verb +ing than after + subject + verb

[boreal ingot]

Both work

I like their version more

But that's subjective

[visual umbra]

It's a tricky question. It is about "collective plurals". You can consider "the committee" as a single body, then "is" and "has" are appropriate. Or you can consider it as a group of individuals, then "are" or "were" are appropriate.

In the case of "the police" there is a common rule that it is treated as a collective plural. The police are..., The police were... The police have...

As for other such words, it may depend on the context and on the country. There can be several committees, and one committee can be either a single body or a group of people.

The choice between "is" or "has" and between "are" or "were" depends on the context.

[acoustic geyser]

Ain't the Brits use the plural and Americans use the singular?

[boreal ingot]

Yeah, it's more common to do that in BrE

[graceful bone]

Comma = , ?

[boreal ingot]

But it's done in AmE

[boreal ingot]

Yes

[graceful bone]

Oh, ok!

[flat rune]

Yes

[boreal ingot]

After you watch the film, tell me your opinion about it.

I wonder if 'about' should be 'on'

I think it would sound better with 'on', but 'about' works

[flat rune]

It's about

[boreal ingot]

Could you explain the difference

[graceful bone]

Im also curious about

[flat rune]

About means that you're talking about something, whereas on is used to say that you're on something

Let me give some examples

I was talking about my friend who got his degree in law.

As you can see you're talking about something

I was doing my homework on my bed.

It means that you're doing smth on smth

[thorn condor]

both

[flat rune]

So the sentence after you watch the film, tell me your opinion on it is for me incorrect

But ask the natives

As a precaution

[thorn condor]

I'm curious how different they are, because they feel interchangeable in this context

[flat rune]

I've never seen someone saying on in this contexr

[thorn condor]

do you have a take on it? it's pretty common to say

[flat rune]

If it really works i think it's less common to say on

[flat rune]

I have been taught it was about

[thorn condor]

you do you, I guess

[boreal ingot]

Yea.....

[boreal ingot]

Yea I've 100% seen both, I was asking what the difference is

[flat rune]

DMs for open fun

[flat rune]

Oh ok

[boreal ingot]

Will I be taught about English grammar if I talk to you in DMs?

[verbal heron]

@flat rune what is your native language?

[flat rune]

French why

[verbal heron]

I was curious to know

[flat rune]

Wbt you

[verbal heron]

Hindi

[flat rune]

Ok

[verbal heron]

Do you speak English irl?

[flat rune]

Not always

I only speak it when i am on call with english speakers on discord

[verbal heron]

I hardly speak English irl

even on discord, I am not able to converse with anyone for a long duration

[verbal heron]

"On" is a very confusing preposition, you cannot generalize anything about "on" just with one example

[thorn condor]

prepositions are a nightmare to learn, and "on" is just one out of many

[verbal heron]

yea

"On" forms a phrasal verb with so many verbs 💀

[thorn condor]

their basic meanings are rather straightforward, but it gets worse and worse as you learn a language

[verbal heron]

For ESL students, preposition are the easiest stuff at first, but as they move further, they are introduced to something called "appropriate preposition" 💀

[thorn condor]

that's why I recommend "kevin buckley yt" to everyone who learn them. it''s such a small channel, so you can only find it by accident

[verbal heron]

Even I've never heard of this channel

[verbal heron]

I've checked it out just now

it's a good channel

[boreal ingot]

Get on with it, start getting on. On occasion you on purpose go on drugs and go on to turn on the one on whom I turned the lights on. And you keep going, so on and so forth, and when you decide on what to do, you tell me to hold on, and jump on the chance to pounce on me and stab me 😔

[verbal heron]

Yea lmao

put on

[thorn condor]

[verbal heron]

@boreal ingot But imo both "on" and "about" work there

[boreal ingot]

Yes

I know

I was asking what the difference is

[verbal heron]

While he was explaining what "about" means, he used "about" in the same sentence

[boreal ingot]

Yea that was dumb

[verbal heron]

If I had to translate that to my native language, "about" would be correct.

But while translating, the meaning might get altered

[boreal ingot]

My question is what the difference between 'opinion on' and 'opinion about' is

[flat rune]

Was it a problem ?

[verbal heron]

Yea, it was like "cow" means "cow lives on grass"

[flat rune]

Bro i couldn't use another word

[verbal heron]

dw

[thorn condor]

it's funny but I can't think up any tangible examples with about, whereas on is a different matter.

the book is on the table -> on the surface of the table -> in connection with the table

[verbal heron]

"He had crush on her" 💀

[graceful bone]

[flat rune]

Can a non-native learn all phrasal verbs that exist ?

[sly pier]

Yes.

[sly pier]

This is a good answer.

[boreal ingot]

There always was at least one book about my room

Is this not tangible?

[boreal ingot]

Thanks

[thorn condor]

@boreal ingot nope. you can imagine on / in / over and even draw a picture with them, but it doesn't work with about

[graceful bone]

Getting more and more confused

[thorn condor]

[boreal ingot]

Idk, if someone said 'books about the room', that's books spread throughout the room

Very much tangible

Can picture it

[thorn condor]

about ??? can you draw a similar thing?

no room, no books, no nothing. just a cat, a box and about

[boreal ingot]

I mean, 'cats about the box' could be multiple cats at random points near, in, on, and around the box

So yea

[thorn condor]

[boreal ingot]

'a cat was about the box' could also mean a cat is somewhere near the box

Or going around the box

So I think while a bit more complicated, 'about' is tangible

[verbal heron]

when you are using "about" in this context, you are not giving them proper info; you may not want them to know where the cat is

[boreal ingot]

You may not want them to know? How

It's just vague location

Like using near or by

By the shed, near the box, about the building

They're all just rough locations

Not purposefully elusive

[thorn condor]

(especially British English) in many directions in a place; here and there
holy cow no wonder I didn't come across this before, but I'll remember it now

[boreal ingot]

You all, ignore this is a run-on, are there any mistakes here?

I watch the tiny children that roam our town's streets, how they beg for food and are beaten for thievery, and I know that there, with the beggers and sufferers, but for the grace of god, in giving me such a wonderful mother as her, go I, so for her, I am eternally grateful.

Any punctuative issues?

[opaque topaz]

no it's fine

but a bit confusing to read

[gaunt mango]

“And I know that there, with the beggars and sufferers,” is odd

[boreal ingot]

Even that comma before 'in giving'?

[gaunt mango]

Not itself but

[opaque topaz]

its right but quite confusing

[gaunt mango]

What you connected afterwards doesn’t make sense

[boreal ingot]

Hvae you heard of the idiom 'there, but for the grace of God, go I'?

That is what I'm using

[opaque topaz]

i would personally reword it or change the punctuation a bi

t

[gaunt mango]

I think it works but it’s just odd

[opaque topaz]

like id change the first comma to a colon

[gaunt mango]

Also yeah you already fixed it but God is capitalized

When using that idiom you can also surround it with hyphens to keep it more clarified

[opaque topaz]

^^ incredible use of the power of language & the comma but it is a bit confusing...

[boreal ingot]

Right, forgot about that lol

[gaunt mango]

-but for the grace of god…as her-

[boreal ingot]

Oh, a colon? I seldom use those

Any other punctuative things?

[gaunt mango]

Other than it being a run on sentence, no

And the stuff we mentioned

Oh I missed it

[opaque topaz]

omg u should! it's a wonderful punctuation mark!

[gaunt mango]

Beggars is spelled with an a, not e

[boreal ingot]

Whaaaa

Thas insane

[boreal ingot]

I should ye

I gotta learn how to properly use it

[boreal ingot]

One thing, do I need a second 'the' before 'sufferers'?

/does it read better with a second 'the'

[gaunt mango]

You don’t need it

But it might seem more

Archaic if you do add it

I’m guessing that’s the style you’re looking for

[boreal ingot]

Indeed that is the style I'm going for

thank you

[opaque topaz]

its primary purposes are for expanding on a topic, starting a list, and quotations (for quotations that i want with a capital i personally use the colon because having a capital in a quotation that's after a comma or no punctuation looks weird)

its oops

[boreal ingot]

'it's' 😔

[opaque topaz]

DOUBLE QUOTATIONS!!

[boreal ingot]

I mean, 'I watch [x], and I know that [y]' can't be seperated by a colon, can they? So why would one beused in my text when 'how they beg for food and are beaten for thievery' is just embeded into the main sentence

[opaque topaz]

Im so silly sometimes omg

[boreal ingot]

wdym

[gaunt mango]

When quoting someone you use double quotes

[boreal ingot]

not true for BrE?

[gaunt mango]

She said, “you’re supposed to use double quotes, not single ones!!”

[boreal ingot]

But in BrE you use single

[gaunt mango]

Oh British English

[boreal ingot]

I'm following that standard the best I can

[boreal ingot]

Yeah

[boreal ingot]

sorry, I said double

I meant single

[opaque topaz]

oh actually, the comma is better. dont use the colon

[boreal ingot]

In British English single quotation marks are used girl, smh 😅

[gaunt mango]

If you’re going for British English then yes

[boreal ingot]

Oh oki

[boreal ingot]

Yeah, I am

[gaunt mango]

Sorry for my late responses I am currently doing band lol

[opaque topaz]

if a quote has single quotes in them you should use double

[gaunt mango]

Colon usually works better when emphasizing info iirc

[boreal ingot]

I've never heard of such a rule

Is this your own standard or established by some style guide

[opaque topaz]

yes!!

[opaque topaz]

im pretty sure most major style guides agree

[gaunt mango]

It’s true!

[opaque topaz]

like the APA and MLA

the preference for single quotes to quote in british english is if there's no single quotes within the quote

[gaunt mango]

Inverted for British and American English

[opaque topaz]

if there are single quotes in it then you'd switch to double

[gaunt mango]

“She said ‘what?’ To my inquiry”
‘She said “what?” To my inquiry’

[boreal ingot]

When quotes are in quotes it becomes double in single

But I didn't have a quote in the quote

I had an apostrophe

[opaque topaz]

erm they look at the same

[boreal ingot]

yeah, I know that rule, but mine didn't have a second quote in it, it was

'it's'

[gaunt mango]

Discord standard font I think they are

[opaque topaz]

you were quoting my "it's," were u not...

[boreal ingot]

Yeah, but they technically aren't

[gaunt mango]

Some international keyboards separate quote marks from apostrophes

[boreal ingot]

You said

It's
I quoted
'It's' 😔

So yeah, that isn't a quote in a quote

that's just a quote thjat says 'it's'

[opaque topaz]

wait what-

my brain is hurting rn 😭

[boreal ingot]

Lmao 😭

[opaque topaz]

would u not use double still??

[gaunt mango]

Noing

[boreal ingot]

I quoted one word, that word was a contraction that has an apostrophe. You told me, when there is a quote inside a quote, change to double quotes (a rule I know), but that's not a quote inside a quote, that's an apostrophe inside a quote

This is so confusing 😭

[opaque topaz]

are the apostrophe and quotation mark not the same

[opaque topaz]

naturally for me i would've said "it's"

[boreal ingot]

Yeaaa cuz yourew americann 😭

Yopu are American, right?

[opaque topaz]

*canadian

[boreal ingot]

Right, sorry

[opaque topaz]

im trying to wrap my head around this rn omg

[gaunt mango]

AmE it’s double quotes

[opaque topaz]

ive never seen single quotes like that around it's...

[gaunt mango]

BrE is single quotes

[opaque topaz]

ofc it makes sense if it's "dog" "cat" "what" or whatever

but if it's "it's" then single just seems wrong...

[gaunt mango]

American English moment

[opaque topaz]

YES! her way is right too but to me it just seems wrong

[boreal ingot]

I think they technically are the same symbol, but semantically, apostrophes are what goes in a word or at the end of a word, forming a contraction, possessive, etc., while single quotation marks go around sentences and words to denote that 'this is a quote', lol

[opaque topaz]

*CANADIAN 🥰

[gaunt mango]

Same difentidisenth

[opaque topaz]

that's true

see i like british english bc it's prettier

but there are some things like this that i've now learnt that make it earlier

[gaunt mango]

Canadian English primarily follows American conventions

[opaque topaz]

i use to think that but it's more 50/50

[gaunt mango]

For spelling, you guys follow BrE

Everything else seems to be AmE

[opaque topaz]

yesss it's about 50/50

[opaque topaz]

the pronunciation and word choices r definitely more american though

[gaunt mango]

I would call that like 80/20 tbh

[opaque topaz]

omg no it definitely isn't 80/20

[gaunt mango]

Just my opinion tho

[thorn condor]

so I guess, it's a mess as any other variation

[gaunt mango]

CnE 🗿

[opaque topaz]

i think we just choose the prettier version

[boreal ingot]

'This is a quote written with single quotation marks' BrE
"This is also a quote, but it is written with doublequotation marks" AmE

'This's a quote with apostrophes in it; it's written with single quotes' BrE
"And this's a quote with apostrophes, but it's in double quotes" AmE

Now this, under here, is a 1-word-long quote in double quotes:
"it's" AmE
And this is the same quote in single quotes:
'it's' BrE

This is the only way I can explain it lmao 😭 @opaque topaz

[boreal ingot]

Isn't that CaE?

For Canadian

[gaunt mango]

No clue, I’m making it up

[opaque topaz]

i refuse to see that single single single

[gaunt mango]

We’re both wrong

It’s CanE

[boreal ingot]

lmao

[opaque topaz]

my personal style is like a mess of american and british

i go by what looks prettier

[opaque topaz]

this is driving me crazy omg

the 'it's' is going to murder me in my sleep 😛

But im so happy i learnt that you can actually do that

[boreal ingot]

😭

[opaque topaz]

like organise looks so much prettier than organize

I use to use organize but i switched in gr 8 a few years ago bc it looks prettier

[gaunt mango]

‘It’s’ technically how you’re supposed to be doing it in Canada eh?

[opaque topaz]

no it's "it's"

[opaque topaz]

THIS SENTENCE OMG

ur purposefully trying to kill me w english rn

[gaunt mango]

Wait until you hear of the sentence “police police police police police police police”

[opaque topaz]

that's like the bison one 😭

[gaunt mango]

“Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo”

If a word is both a noun (place) and noun (thing), as well as a verb then I think that works

[opaque topaz]

these sentences r so silly

[boreal ingot]

Wikipedia uses CanE (pic1), but I can find one result of someone using CaE (pic2), and on the other English server, there's also this message, which is why I use 'CaE' in the first place (pic3)

[opaque topaz]

just use the full form 😭

[boreal ingot]

Too lazy :3

2 lzy

[opaque topaz]

i think ur pedanticism will take you farther than most of us

& i love it

[boreal ingot]

I'm only a tiiny bit pedantic 🤏

I certainly am not going anywhere though

[boreal ingot]

When someone uses 'thy' instead of 'thine', or 'thou' instead of 'thee', it very much hurts me, though

Like if you're trying to act all Early Modern English at least use 'thou' right

[opaque topaz]

Ahhh we're reading the tragedie of macbeth rn in english

[boreal ingot]

Then they says 'sayest' instead of 'sayeth', or they go and say 'must sayeth'

[boreal ingot]

ooh, sounds like fun

I never read Shakespeare

[opaque topaz]

its so good 😍

[boreal ingot]

his stuff is too old for me to understandd

[opaque topaz]

what do you like to read?

[boreal ingot]

Well, I don't read 😭

I would like to read

but I am much too easily distracted to do so

I can't get through 2 chapters smh

[sly pier]

Not always. It’s slowly falling out of favour (becoming less used).

[boreal ingot]

Interesting

I did not know that

I'm guessing it's still common in formal contexts?

Like, if you're sending an Email to someone or are writing a novel, would you use single quotes? How about in an essay?

[opaque topaz]

u shoulddd

you will develop ur english so much more that way

[opaque topaz]

Girl im not even going to correct you on the capital email because i bet there's some obscure rule you know that says u can 😭

[boreal ingot]

Yeah I see the value in it, but I've tried many times, and I always end up saying 'I'll continue later' after I'm done reading for the first day, and I just end up never doing it again lol

[boreal ingot]

Oh, actually, I have no idea why I capitalised it 😭

I think it should be 'e-mail'

hmm

[verbal heron]

How is this a sentence? 💀💀

[boreal ingot]

Okay, no, it shouldn't be

Thank you for pointing that out :>

[boreal ingot]

(The) Police (that) police police, (they) police police (that) police police

[opaque topaz]

I wish i could give u tips but i think if you keep trying youll find a book that just clicks

[verbal heron]

💀

[boreal ingot]

think about how 'police police' are just the police of the police

[verbal heron]

alr

[boreal ingot]

the police who police the police

[verbal heron]

alr

[boreal ingot]

Iss alright, thank you

[boreal ingot]

yea, it's like the buffalo one

[verbal heron]

I didn't get anything after this

[boreal ingot]

do you know the verb police?

[sly pier]

Yes, in formal contexts.

There’s probably a generational aspect to it (age). Most books I read have single quotations, but that’s likely because it’s gone through a British publisher/editor first, so it has to be in “traditional” British writing conventions.

Realistically, no one cares what is used as long as it’s used consistently. Most people don’t even know that doubles are “American” and singles are “British”, they just see quotation style as a personal preference.

I’ve always used double quotation marks, and a lot of my friends do too.

[boreal ingot]

To police

[verbal heron]

yea

[boreal ingot]

So, those police police, they police other police

police police - police (verb) - police

now, those police police, they don't police just any police, they police police that other police police

police poilce police = police that police police

[verbal heron]

Can we replace "they" with "who" here?

[limber yacht]

Hi

[boreal ingot]

this is impossible to explain wow

[sly pier]

I think you’ve done a fine job

lol

[boreal ingot]

we can swap out police the verb for another

that should make it easier

[verbal heron]

Although it's as clear as mud to me 💀, thanks for your effort

[boreal ingot]

but I can't think of verbs with a similar menaing lol

[verbal heron]

As?

I guess using (that's and who's) might make it easier for me to understand

[boreal ingot]

okay, this is the only way to explain it better, lol

[police police]¹ supervise police (that)² police supervise

1. [police police] = the police that act on other police
2. the 'that' is optional, just like it is in 'food (that) people eat'

Every 'supervise' can be replaces with 'police' the verb

[boreal ingot]

I see, thank you lots :>

[verbal heron]

Alright, now I will try to comprehend the original sentence

Got it finally 👍, thanks

[boreal ingot]

Glad I somehow helped lol

if you haven't actually understood, dw I'm not about to re-explain

I know I explained it like three times, that probably got annoying

[boreal ingot]

do you all know the difference between virtuoso and aficionado?

[quaint stirrup]

@indigo acorn hi

@indigo acorn send me a sma🙂

[trail slate]

What does pass out mean here

[boreal ingot]

lose consciousness

[trail slate]

Doesn't make sense

[sly pier]

What’s the full context/picture?

[calm path]

Ah, in this context "pass out" means to die or leave this world. The text is about how we're born naked and will die naked - it's a philosophical message about life's cycle and how material things don't matter in the end. Similar to the biblical saying about coming and leaving with nothing!

[sly pier]

“Death/to die”, then.

I suppose “pass out” here can mean to lose consciousness (in the sense of dying)

[trail slate]

But ppl don't die naked

[calm path]

Actually, the message isn't literal about being physically naked when you die - it's metaphorical. It means we all come into this world with nothing (naked) and leave with nothing (naked). Whether you're wearing clothes or not when you die isn't the point - it's about how we can't take our possessions or wealth with us in the end. It's a deeper message about not being materialistic.

[trail slate]

I see, thank you

[boreal ingot]

You're losing consciousness, but rather than transiently, it's permanent

---

Question,

I wanted to get native anglophone/lusophone input.

Can I use anglophone and lusophone like that? Would a hyphen be needed between native and anglophone/lusophone?

[calm path]

A virtuoso is someone who's super skilled at performing something (like a master musician), while an aficionado is just a big fan who knows a lot about something but doesn't necessarily do it. Like a virtuoso plays piano brilliantly, while an aficionado just really loves and knows piano music!

[boreal ingot]

Ohhh that makes a lot of sense! Very well explained, thank you 💜

[calm path]

Yes, you can use them like that. No hypen needed.

[boreal ingot]

I see

thanks

do you know if anglophone/lusophone would be an adjective or a noun adjunct there?

[calm path]

Can be both noun and adjective depending on how they’re used.

[boreal ingot]

I guess it depends on how you analyse the sentence.

If the input is 1. native and 2. English/Portuguese-speaking, then that would mean anglophone/lusophone is an adjective in that sentence.

If the input is of an English/Portuguese speaker who is a native, then anglophone/lusophone would be acting as a noun adjunct.

So since the first doesn't make sense, ig it's a noun adjunct there

[boreal ingot]

Oh yea, I was asking about its function in that particular sentence

Sorry I wasn't clear

[calm path]

I don’t follow. Were you referring to this sentence “I wanted to get anglophone/lusophone input”?

[boreal ingot]

Yea

I wanted to get native lusophone input

I was asking if lusophone there is acting as a noun adjunct (a noun working like an adjective), or if it's an adjective

But after a bit of thinking, I'm gonna say it's the former

[calm path]

That’s correct! Cos it’s being used to modify another noun(input).

[graceful bone]

Pronounce or pronunciation?

[calm path]

Context?

[flat rune]

How do you know the which is correct English sentence?

[thorn condor]

english spelling is a bit messy, so I might write sth like pronounciation I can't remember the correct option

[flat rune]

That it wrong is sentence b wrong?

[round jungle]

Both are correct. "Pronounce" is the verb. "Pronunciation" is the noun.

[thorn condor]

each always describes a singular noun, and it must be B

[flat rune]

Students have s mean plural though ?

[thorn condor]

you look at each of them. like one at a time

so you ahve to use is

[calm path]

5b is correct because each is singular. Even though we’re talking about multiple students, when we use “each” we’re referring to them one at a time.

[round jungle]

Both ways are common in actual usage. The academically "proper" one is B, because "each" is referring to the students as singular individuals.

[boreal ingot]

The latter. 'each' is singular

[flat rune]

Oh

Thank you all

It make sense

[calm path]

Ah I see! You meant to say the difference of these two..

Pronounce (verb)= to say a word out loud.
Example: “How do you pronounce your name?”

Pronunciation (noun)= the way a word is correctly said.
Example: “The pronunciation of my name is Cherish”

Think of it like: pronounce is DOING it and pronunciation is KNOWING how to do it.

[graceful bone]

I was talking about the pronunciation of a word and I had a doubt about

[graceful bone]

Thank you!

[boreal ingot]

Damn, this Grant teacher sucks

[boreal ingot]

I don't like him much, so I would much rather he not be included in the game. [Not that if he were in it I would do anything].

1. Is this a conditional?
2. Is this grammatical?
3. Is this informal?
4. Is this natural?
   (Please answer as many of these as possible)

[calm path]

1. conditional - it shows a situation and its result. Like "if I study (condition), I'll pass the test (result)"

2. grammatical - "were" is the correct form to use here

3. informal - especially with the [...] part feeling like a quick add-on

4. sounds natural - like normal conversation when someone adds an extra thought

5. clear in meaning - shows both their preference and potential behavior

6. commonly used - people often add clarifying statements like this

7. conversational - has that natural flow of speaking thoughts aloud

[calm path]

But don’t trust my sleepy brain rn- these answers might hit different when i wake up. 😴

[gaunt mango]

I’m going to assume that you want the bracketed sentence included.

1. “If he were” is a conditional, specifically a hypothetical conditional.
2. Your sentence looks grammatically correct to me, good job!
3. This sentence strikes me as mostly informal, however small bits like “he not be” would be considered formal in older forms of English.
4. “I don’t like him much, so I would much rather” sounds unnatural because you used much twice, you can omit the first ‘much’ to simplify things. “I don’t like him, so I would much rather” or if you want to make it a little more formal you can say “I’m not too fond of him, so I would rather”
   Additionally, like I mentioned before, “he not be” is an older English construction. It fits the archaic vibe I know you like, but it’s not commonly used in casual English today.

[alpine gyro]

Could my answer be right

[gaunt mango]

Yes, it’s correct

[flat rune]

lol what happened

i was there for the first half ig

i was proper confused as to what you lot were doing

[alpine gyro]

Neurobiologists Laura Cuaya, Raul Hernandez-Perez, and colleagues
investigated the language detection abilities of eighteen dogs. The
researchers monitored the brain activity of Kun-kun (a border collie),
Bingo (a mixed breed), and other dogs while the animals listened to
three recordings: one of The Little Prince being read in Spanish, the
second in Hungarian, and a third made up of short, randomly
selected fragments of the first two, scrambled so that they didn't
resemble human speech. Each dog was familiar with either Spanish
or Hungarian, but not both. The team concluded that differences in
dogs anatomical features may affect their ability to distinguish
speech from nonspeech.
Which finding from the study, if true, would most directly support
the team's conclusion ?

A) Compared with longer-headed dogs, shorter-headed dogs showed
less difference in brain activity when hearing either Spanish or
Hungarian than when hearing the scrambled recording.

B) Compared with longer-headed dogs, shorter-headed dogs
showed a greater difference in brain activity when hearing the
language, they were accustomed to than when hearing the other
language.

C) The pattern of brain activity that long-headed dogs showed when
hearing the scrambled recording was different from the pattern of
brain activity that short-headed dogs showed when hearing the
language they were accustomed to.

D) Long-headed dogs accustomed to hearing Spanish tended to
show more brain activity when hearing Spanish than long-headed
dogs accustomed to hearing Hungarian showed when hearing
Hungarian.

Could this be A? Coz it says anatomical features affect their ability to distinguish from speech and non speech

And then option a says that when shorter headed dogs heard the scrambled recording they showed more brain acitivity

[acoustic geyser]

Hello

What is different between
Love/hate/prefer/like to do something
Love/hate/prefer/like doing something

[lapis marten]

I think the difference here is that the first one is in Present Simple and the second in Present Progressive

[flat rune]

no they’re both present simple

i think the difference is in the verb itself

do/doing

[acoustic geyser]

What is different?

[flat rune]

the form of verbs is different

to + verb vs. gerund

gerund is the ‘ing’ in doing

I like to read vs. I like reading

Which sentence is correct between these : I'd really appreciate if you went to pick up my prescription. I'd really appreciate if you go to pick up my prescription.

[alpine gyro]

In 2016, Gabriela Gonzalez and team announced that a chirping
sound captured by Laser interferometer Gravitational-Wave
Observatory antennas was direct evidence of gravitational waves,
which skeptics had argued would be too faint for detection. Detailed
statistical analysis helped preclude claims of the event's
______[fill the blank] confirming the signal at a confidence level of over 99%.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise
word or phrase?
A) discretion
B) probability
C) inconspicuousness
D) ambiguity

Is this b or c?

[flat rune]

Jk

i’m too lazy to answer all this

[acoustic geyser]

Is it -ing a continuous form?

[flat rune]

[signal shell]

i think it's D

[flat rune]

No

not always

[flat rune]

I'm not going to thank you for saying that

[flat rune]

example: if I was to say the running water was cold, that’s not continuous, that’s just a way to describe the water

[flat rune]

why would you

i was only saying I cba, not that I’m helping lmao

[flat rune]

You didn't have to say it

keep it for you

what-

ohh

but I said it anyway cause I can

cope

[alpine gyro]

Isnt inconspicuous similar meaning to d

[flat rune]

Ok

[signal shell]

Inconspicuous means it doesn't draw attention

Ambiguous means it has multiple interpretations

[novel moth]

Inconspicuous: Means something doesn’t draw attention or is hard to notice.
Ambiguous: Means something has multiple interpretations or is unclear.
In the context of the sentence, D) ambiguity is still the best choice because it refers to the "uncertainty" or "doubt" about the gravitational wave signal that the analysis aimed to clarify. Inconspicuousness doesn’t work here because the signal being "hard to notice" isn't the focus—the focus is on eliminating uncertainty about what the signal meant.

[flat rune]

I'm not crying because you didn't answer my question

Another one has answered it

Idc about your reponse

Know that

[flat rune]

I know that

it’s just a slang term 😭

[verbal heron]

I have not been able to break this intricate sentence down into simple words

[sly pier]

Simon made a lot of money practicing medicine, however, he was unhappy because he worried the money would tempt him into doing things against his religious beliefs (such as wearing gold jewellery and expensive clothes).*

*Essentially, he was worried about having so much money, as it might make him 'materialistic' (only concerned about money, status and appearance - which is discouraged by many religions).

I can't understand the first part: "Mindful of John Wesley's stricutres on the use of many words in buying and selling", but maybe there is extra context needed to understand that.

[verbal heron]

Before that line the book has mentioned nothing about John Wesley

Since stricture often denotes restrictions, I think John Wesley advised Simon to talk less while dealing in medicines

[verbal heron]

Alright, thanks a lot

[sly pier]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley

He seems to be a religious figure. From briefly glancing/researching, it seems that was in favour of simple/modest living due to his Christian beliefs.

The sentence is still difficult for me to understand grammatically, but the meaning is essentially "mindful of John Wesley's ideas/teachings about modest living..."

[verbal heron]

This is from the book "To Kill A Mockingbird"

Do you think it'd be the same John Weslwy as the one in the website?

[sly pier]

It appears so.

I found this useful link:
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/301626/complicated-sentence-in-to-kill-a-mockingbird

Someone asked the exact same question. The comments are very useful.

It means Simon understood John Wesley's criticism of some practices of commerce, namely, using "too many words" (I would probably interpret this as being too pushy, desperate to make the sale), and he practiced control of his behavior whenever he was selling to his customers, so as to remain an upright and just salesman. And this is attributed to his success, because his customers liked him better for it.

Simon interpreted narrowly a statement of John Wesley's that was probably meant as general advice against being too concerned with the pursuit of money.

[verbal heron]

Alright, thanks Alexei

Btw when do you use the conjunction “lest”?

[sly pier]

[Action] "lest" (to avoid the risk of) [event]

That would be the sentence structure. "Lest" is a very archaic word, you will only see it in older works.

"I locked the door, lest someone break in"

I locked the door to avoid the risk of someone breaking in.

[calm path]

It’s a fancy way of saying or else or to prevent something bad.

[verbal heron]

Alright, thanks to you both 🙏

[verbal heron]

I can't help trying to understand the structure

[calm path]

Which part is confusing you?

[boreal ingot]

@calm path @gaunt mango thank you both sooo much 💜

[verbal heron]

The replacement of so many words with a single word “lest” is confusing me

And its presence altered the sentence structure

[calm path]

The word “lest” is like a shortcut that replaces longer phrases like these.

To prevent
To avoid
So that not
Or else

For example:
“I locked the door, lest someone break in” is the same as “I locked the door to prevent break-ins”
Or “I locked the door or else someone might break in”
Or “I locked the door so that no one breaks in”

One tiny word “lest” does all the job for all those phrases.

[flat rune]

I need help in english history

[verbal heron]

Thanks a lot, Ches

[boreal ingot]

I would say A, but I just woke up

[boreal ingot]

Not sure on this one but I think D

Oh people have already said that I see

[boreal ingot]

Hey, @verbal heron, I think by the 'many words' bit they might mean smth like, 'he was aware of and acting in accordance with John Weasley's criticisms (second meaning in pic) of when ppl selling things are desperate and reaallyyy trying to convince you to buy stuff.' That is, they use many words

[boreal ingot]

'for fear that' is how I understand 'lest'

I was very quiet lest I wake the children slumbering

Is basically

I was very quiet for fear that I wake the children slumbering

It's the best replacement phrase for 'lest', imo

[calm path]

To do= specific time/thing
Doing= habit/always

Example

I would like to do my homework tonight (specific time)
I like doing homework in the library (general habit)

To do works better when you add WHEN or WHICH specific time

[alpine gyro]

To measure changes in parasite abundance over time, Chelsea Wood and colleagues counted parasite individuals preserved on specimens of Pacific herring, spotted ratfish, and six other fish species collected from Puget Sound between 1880 and 2019. Using statistical models to estimate historical populations, the researchers determined that for every 1°C increase in annual average sea surface temperature, the abundance of complex life cycle parasites like Leucantherster sp. that require at least three unique host species throughout their life cycle decreased by 38%. However, the abundance of Gyrodactylus sp. and other directly transmitted parasites, which require only one host species, was essentially unchanged. These findings suggest that ___.

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A) As the number of hosts that complex life cycle parasites require increases, the parasites’ tolerance for rising sea surface temperatures decreases proportionately.

B) Leucantherster sp. abundance decreased by 38% over the period studied, whereas Gyrodactylus sp. abundance did not.

C) Parasites that rely exclusively on either Pacific herring or spotted ratfish are more sensitive to rising temperatures than are parasites that can infect both species throughout their life cycles.

D) Dependency on only a single host species may confer on parasites some resilience to rising sea surface temperatures.

Guys which one could this be I’m reluctant between a and d..

Idk which could be a stronger choice tbh

[calm path]

My answer is D.

A) Says "more hosts = less heat tolerance"
❌ Too complicated and assumes too much

D) Says "maybe needing only 1 host helps them survive heat better"
✅ Simple explanation that matches what we saw:

• One-host parasites survived the heat
• Three-host parasites didn't

D is the answer for me because it's:

• Simple explanation
• Matches the facts
• Doesn't guess too much

[visual umbra]

This is not only about Leucantherster and Gyrodactylus. And this is not only about herring and spotted ratfish. So, it is not B) or C).

No proportionality is mentioned between the number of hosts and decrease of tolerance to the temperature. So, it is not A).

Hence, it's D).

[alpine gyro]

Thank you so much guys

[graceful bone]

usually still growing up to x years
Was "up to" used correctly?

[calm path]

Absolutely!

[royal ledge]

Is there any way to become fluent in English as quickly as possible particularly when writing, speaking,listening?

[calm path]

English is my second language, and let me share what helped me get better quickly. Even though I write better than I speak, I found that just chatting with native English speakers helps me improve naturally - I even pick up their accents. I love watching TV series with lots of dialogue and practice by repeating what I hear. Plus, I record myself speaking sometimes to catch any mistakes and improve. It's way more fun than formal lessons, and it really works! The key is just diving in and practicing, whether through conversations, shows, or recordings. The more you surround yourself with English, the faster you'll learn! 😊

[flat rune]

What is the difference between these : Before paying my debts, i had lots of money. Before paying my debts, I had a lot of money.

[calm path]

They both mean the same thing.

Lots of= more casual, friendly talk
A lot of= slightly more formal, better for writing

[flat rune]

oh ok ty

[verbal heron]

Yea, that may be correct; thank you

[boreal ingot]

np

[verbal heron]

But how did you think of that; that the “many words” could've been used that way?

[boreal ingot]

wdym?

When you use many words in buying and selling, you're just trying to get them to buy your stuff

[verbal heron]

That'd be much helpful ig 🙏

[verbal heron]

Ah, you are right

XD

[boreal ingot]

Can someone help me pronounce 'sinensis'?

It's part of the scientific name for the Chinese wisteria

[opaque topaz]

Is anyone good w writing formalist literary theory essays?

I’m looking for tips to be better at writing an essay using that type of English analysis

It’s for an assignment

[boreal ingot]

Would you rather not be pinged by me?
Is this correct?

Is it natural?

Does it mean this?

Would you prefer it if you weren't pinged by me?

[scarlet tinsel]

so i'm having this problem, i self-study english at home and i always got the answers 70-80% right.but when its come to my school's speakers, i could barely hear what they say

they sounds are way too hard to hear compared to the one i hear on my computer

turns out my listening test only got 50% right at school

😢

is there anything i could do to slove this problem?

[verbal heron]

it might be because in computer, you can rewind the sounds whenever you want to

[scarlet tinsel]

we cant tell the teacher to rewind in during the exam tho

also i told her to lower the sound but it dosent change anything

her speaker is the worst one ever

[verbal heron]

During the exam, you do not get that much time to re-think; you just do in accordance with your instinct

anyway, please wait for the replies from others

[tepid bough]

yea even ielts test has some of the worst listening audio

you can try watching videos or listening to some english-speaking countries ( England and Scotland i recommend as their accent sucks) to get used to it. You can also try familiarizing some common accent too

while taking an exam, concentrate on only the question and the script. Losing concentration will result in failure in completing all the test.

it will be hard at first but practice makes perfect

[boreal ingot]

Would you rather not be pinged by me?

1. Is this correct?

2. Is this natural?

3. Does it mean this?

Would you prefer it if you weren't pinged by me?

---

Can someone help me pronounce 'sinensis'?
It's part of the scientific name for the Chinese wisteria

[tepid bough]

what does ping mean in this context?

[boreal ingot]

@tepid bough

^ that is a ping

[tepid bough]

ohh

[boreal ingot]

That notification you get from my reply to your message is also a ping

yea

[tepid bough]

sinNENsis

the stress is in second syllable

[boreal ingot]

Is the first vowel a schwa or a kit? What about the third?

Do you have IPA for it? I can't find it online

[tepid bough]

let me find it again. I had seen someone pronounce this word on Youtube before

[tepid bough]

a kit

[tepid bough]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_pWdTA-Dlo

[boreal ingot]

It would be much appreciated if you are able

[tepid bough]

ig this will help you

but you have to slow down the playback speed

[boreal ingot]

hmm something like /sə'nɛnsɪs/?

though that does sound like a robot voice

so idk how accurate it is

[boreal ingot]

I can't tell if that's /sɪ'nɛnsɪs/ or /sə'nɛnsɪs/ :p

Okay it's probably the former

[ionic vale]

Sounds correct. Sounds natural. It does mean what you think it does

[boreal ingot]

why can't dictionaries just have damn ipa

[boreal ingot]

thank you :>

[tepid bough]

the first one

[boreal ingot]

Alrighty, many thanks

[tepid bough]

@boreal ingot i found this https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sinensis

[boreal ingot]

Yeah, they don't have IPA for English

just Latin

I did check

[tepid bough]

ohh

ig it is because this word isn't used commonly

[boreal ingot]

Yeah, that's true

[ionic vale]

https://youtube.com/shorts/sNKLv7ROMwE?si=q15UJDMvVbhuRzGd

Could it be this?

[boreal ingot]

That sounds like a robot :p

But yea

Two robot vids have said it like that

so hopefully it's accurate

no idea

[ionic vale]

Probably? Haven't really heard that before

[tepid bough]

how can i use the idiom at the loggerheads? i don't understand how cambridge dictionary use that phrase

[boreal ingot]

It's just like, having a disagreement

being angry about it too

[ionic vale]

They were at loggerheads
They have been at loggerheads
A was at loggerheads with B
A and B were at loggerheads over the xyz conflict

[boreal ingot]

Found 2 vids of people saying it through YouGlish, @tepid bough

https://youtu.be/Bm-_XiVL7XI?t=372
https://youtu.be/I3UonxfkPzk?t=23

if you're curious about how it's pronounced

the robot vids were pretty spot on

[tepid bough]

oh alr

ty

[tepid bough]

yea ik but idk which context can it be used

[tepid bough]

ohh

tysm

[sweet breach]

can you help me

[shut eagle]

A. would.

Since this is talking about the past, would is most appropriate.{Although, D. also looks like an option? lmk if it is}

[sweet breach]

i did select D lol

[flat rune]

Can someone help what is correct sentence?

[tepid bough]

he has finished his project

[flat rune]

Oh why?

Is it because have is for plural.

[acoustic geyser]

There is a rule you must remember:
I + am/have
We/you/they + are/have
He/she/it + is/has.

[verbal heron]

Because (he/she/James/Jack/it/any name) belong to third person singular number

And with third person singular number, we use 'has' not 'have'

While 'they' belongs to third person plural number

[verbal heron]

and we use 'have' with 'they'

To more generalise it, with third person singular number extra s/es are added to the main verb

[flat rune]

Hmm it make sense thank you .

[tepid bough]

same explanation with arthur and vampire. Sorry i was in class and i couldn’t give explanation to you

[flat rune]

That’s Ok.

[ionic vale]

The verb is simple present. Had and earn would never go together. That should have been the first option to cancel

But English is such a tricky language. A, B, and C... all of those three could fit there

Why do they even have to ask such questions lol

[modest zenith]

I'm curious whether the following sentence makes sense
''I could have trusted him but I didn't''
context: you met a fishy that wanted to scam you but you managed to get away

[boreal ingot]

I think it makes sense

[ionic vale]

It does, to me as well

[carmine basin]

Yea, it makes perfect sense to me.

[rapid bison]

three votes for; the matter is dismissed

[tepid bough]

yea it makes sense to me either

[outer tapir]

what is the best way to study for an AP english exam