📚｜english-questions

[boreal ingot]

How is the writing dirty?

[barren hatch]

That sentence, I mean

[vagrant bear]

Hi

[timber bluff]

this is sooooo...elegant sentence of yours lol

[boreal ingot]

I don't think 'squalid' is the word you meant? Could you rephrase?

[barren hatch]

I kind of found it a little "unclean" because I just am not good at reading, and reading it made me question my decisions

Ah, apologies then, I got misinformed

Message has been edited now.

[barren hatch]

Tl;dr it's too smart for me.

[barren hatch]

No, it's just me writing in such a way that I don't have to use my brain to find words.

Oh, I thought it could also be a synonym of something that's neglected

[signal shell]

Squalor

I'm reminded of Hamilton

[barren hatch]

?def squalid

[hazy herald]

Word: squalid

Definition 1 (adjective): foul and run-down and repulsive
Definition 2 (adjective): morally degraded

Definition requested by ieathamburgers

[barren hatch]

Cool, so I can't even write proper English :D

[boreal ingot]

yea exactly, that's why I felt confused at the sentence

[boreal ingot]

ah I see

[barren hatch]

Yup

[timber bluff]

i want Jane Austin sir

[verbal heron]

Austen?

[signal shell]

No

Only Hamilton

https://tenor.com/view/constitution-convention-constitutional-convention-hamilton-alexander-hamilton-gif-18285219

[timber bluff]

but Hamilton is sad
Angelica is sad
Jane Austen is victorious love story

[signal shell]

We need more sad

[verbal heron]

Brontës?

or Hardy?

[signal shell]

Idk these words

[verbal heron]

which words?

[signal shell]

This one

[signal shell]

This one

[timber bluff]

mean Ross.. so mean

[signal shell]

I'm cruel

[verbal heron]

Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë

[barren hatch]

What's your favourite word, guys?

[signal shell]

No

[verbal heron]

foliage

[signal shell]

That's a good one

[verbal heron]

descry

[barren hatch]

Mine's defenestration.

[verbal heron]

Thomas Hardy, an author

[signal shell]

I would like to toss that one out the window

[timber bluff]

dumplings

[verbal heron]

yea, I find it so poetic

[timber bluff]

xD

[barren hatch]

I'll see myself out

[timber bluff]

i mistag lol

[barren hatch]

I can't believe "I will defenestrate you" is an actual threat.

[verbal heron]

I see, but it sounds too technical

[barren hatch]

It means to throw something or someone out the window.

[boreal ingot]

vicissitudes, wherebetween, elsewhence

[signal shell]

Moist

[barren hatch]

Beautiful words!

[verbal heron]

It just sounds like something randomly plucked out of a thesaurus

[verbal heron]

oh, elsewhence

[timber bluff]

Dusk

[barren hatch]

I found out about it when a historical figure got "defenestrated".

Vintner's one that I also like.

[signal shell]

Aberration

[verbal heron]

Oh,lol

[boreal ingot]

yea, what else?

[barren hatch]

Speaking of vintner!

Quafftide

That's another fun word that I like

[boreal ingot]

it's so long though

[barren hatch]

"Time for a drink"

[verbal heron]

You taught me this word today

[boreal ingot]

mhm

iss one of my favs

[verbal heron]

Vinter would sound way better

(if it were to exist)

[barren hatch]

Blame the French for that one.

[verbal heron]

I see

[barren hatch]

Any other words?

[verbal heron]

nah, they gave us so many elegant sounding words and phrases

[verbal heron]

Ravishingly

[barren hatch]

True for one, we can't let German take up more than 3/4 of English now can we?

For two, English and French are both... languages

[timber bluff]

..of sense

[barren hatch]

Ooh, that's a good one!

[verbal heron]

yeah, that's right

[barren hatch]

Bacchanal

[acoustic geyser]

Can I'm done/completed/finished be used the same as I've done/completed/finished?

Are they the same?

[verbal heron]

💀

[barren hatch]

Hold on, why am I only giving words related to alcohol?

[verbal heron]

we know we know

no, wdk

[timber bluff]

..and recklessly you smiled at me.

[barren hatch]

No

[acoustic geyser]

Have they got the same meaning and can they be used interchangeable?

[barren hatch]

They don't always have the same meaning, no

[acoustic geyser]

When do I use?

[barren hatch]

"I'm done" focuses on state (e.g. I'm done with my homework)
"I've done" focuses on action/result (I've done my homework)

[acoustic geyser]

Thanks

[barren hatch]

I'm completed is actually also incorrect, unless you're talking about you yourself becoming a complete being after having merged with an eldritch god.

[boreal ingot]

'abusion' is an all-time fav

[boreal ingot]

My body was scattered across the cosmos billions of years ago, and today marks the occasion of my completion. WIth this final finger.. I am completed

[worthy crane]

is an animal, or animal personified can be used within adjective clause? for example: "The lion, whom the jungle once underestimated, now meditates at sunrise and charges rent to the sun."
because my friend did not think so in his presentation (it's very late here I couldn't contact him and I have to finish it today)

I did think it doesn't make sense why he had to state it in his presentation but just to make sure whether am I just a dummy so I joined this server

[flat rune]

Yup, thanks!

[worthy crane]

wait I worded it incorrectly, it's about the "whom" that shouldn't be used for animals or other things than people in general

[rotund rover]

hi

is there anyone

[boreal ingot]

1. Do these four fit under definition 8 or 2 on Wiktionary of the verb 'trust' (screenshots) or should I add the definition? I think they maybe fit under 2 but with 'to' as opposed to 'in'?
2. Is this construction normal in modern times?

1912:

"How impossible—why is it impossible?" I went on, clinging to my idea. "But, Nastenka, it depends what sort of letter; there are letters and letters and... Ah, Nastenka, I am right; trust to me, trust to me, I will not give you bad advice. It can all be arranged! You took the first step—why not now?"
Idk, sometime between 1800 and 1900:
So Dschemila lowered the cord, and Dschemil tied it round him, and climbed up to her window. Then they embraced each other tenderly, and burst into tears of joy.

‘But what shall I do when the ogre returns?’ asked she.

‘Trust to me,’ he said.
1690:
Del. Yes, Sir, and like himſelf.
He ſhall be entertain’d as Nobly,
As if he were in Rome; my Art ſhall fail me elſe.
Sit down, and truſt to me.
1684:
The old man, forgetful of his Years, with Might purſueth him flying, and cryeth, My Son, why flyeſt thou from me, thy Father, unarmed and old? Tender my caſe/care [not sure how to transcribe; hard to read], O Son, be not afraid; I will undertake for thee with Chriſt, I will die for thee if need be, as Chriſt died for us; I will hazard my Soul for thine, truſt to me, Chriſt sent me.

[civic mirage]

8 since trust in this is context is always followed by “to.”

[boreal ingot]

It's normally followed by 'in', not 'to'?

So it's 8 but with 'to' instead of 'in'?

oh wait I confused 8 and 2

[civic mirage]

By definition, eight is always followed by “to” and two is followed by “in”

[boreal ingot]

Sorry the order of the screenshots messed me up

[civic mirage]

To answer your second question, I have never seen this construction of trust in modern English.

[boreal ingot]

So in all of those examples it means 'rely on', not 'trust in'?

[boreal ingot]

understood

[civic mirage]

“Rely on” and “trust in” mean two extremely similar things. Old English is always confusing

[boreal ingot]

I see

[civic mirage]

Now that I think of it, I don’t think I have ever used trust followed by to

[flat rune]

They can pair or be used differently

[boreal ingot]

Do you think they mean 'rely on' though? It really seems like a request to be trusted in rather than relied on, but as Xpira has pointed out, they overlap somewhat so idk

hmm, so if I were to add the quotes I just add them to sense 8?

[robust bone]

Is there a difference between gear and equipment?

Sometimes I have the impression that gear is more of a military term

[signal shell]

I imagine that gear is specifically the type of equipment which is taken with you where you need to go.

So for example, the equipment needed to film news reports around town could be referred to as gear.

Equipment used in a chemistry lab is not called gear.

I could be wrong about this but the examples I've thought of in my head seem to fall in line with this logic.

[subtle sinew]

Gear is some tools or personal items which are used for a specific task while an equipment is tools, machines or devices which are needed to perform a job or activity

In military context gear refers to personal items or tools that soldiers carry (for example uniform, weapons, body armor)

I hope this is helpful!!

[cloud badge]

gear is usually equipment that you wear

[timber bluff]

How do you achieve felicity? how to mantain it?

[boreal ingot]

This is not the 'as it were' that's used to emphasise that something is metaphorical ('she was a demon, as it were'), is it? It feels different, but I'm not sure. What exactly is the meaning of 'as it were' in this sentence, what is it highlighting? Maybe I feel this is different because of the (in my opinion) 'missing commas' around it, and because it comes in the middle rather than at the end? What are fluent speakers' thoughts on this?

“Oh dear!" she answered; “if I were less happy, I believe I should cry at your lack of faith, at your reproaches. However, you have made me think and have given me a lot to think about; but I shall think later, and now I will own that you are right. Yes, I am somehow not myself; I am all suspense, and feel everything as it were too lightly. But hush! that's enough about feelings..."

[boreal ingot]

Consume eloquent content. Legal texts are normally very well written, old books can be very grandiose yet beautiful in diction, scientific literature tends to be very precise, and so on. Maybe listen to pre-written speeches, they tend to use formal language

[flat rune]

Equipment are tools

[timber bluff]

that sounds tempting

[cloud badge]

Yeah so gear is tool-like clothing or wearable tools. Like, hiking boots is gear cuz its the footwear tool you use for hiking. If something isn't just a cosmetic item, like it has a functional purpose such as holding equipment like a camera bag or making the weather bearable like ski goggles etc, it's gear.

[cloud badge]

It means the same as 'as if it was doing something'. You could completely drop those 3 words and itd have almost the same meaning, just less emphasis on the fact that it's happening right then and there in the present tense.

[uneven summit]

hello every one am new in this server am study to pass my exam am here for friendship and business partnership Dm me for more thing we can be friend

[leaden ether]

can anyone give me a good song or phonk

im leaving in a min

[timber bluff]

what is phonk?

[flat rune]

Phonk is a music genre with a dark, heavy sound, often featuring elements of horrorcore and trap.

[robust bone]

I love how in the english language there's often a latin-derived word that is a synonym to a less formal german-derived word: felicity vs happiness, to converse vs to talk, incredible vs unbelievable, to detest vs to hate

I can't answer your question, though 😦

[robust bone]

what word? felicity?

[lyric monolith]

Hey, someone knows what the word "supervenient" means?

[flat rune]

?def supervenient

[hazy herald]

Word: supervenient

No definitions listed.

Definition requested by judas_the_clueless

[flat rune]

Bot is lacking

Basically a change in an existing event

[boreal ingot]

Google probably does 😔

Hey someone knows what the word 'vexatious' means?
Hey someone knows what the word 'coquetry' means?
Hey someone knows what the word 'plaintive' means?

[flat rune]

?def plaintive

[hazy herald]

Word: plaintive

Definition (adjective): expressing sorrow

Definition requested by judas_the_clueless

[flat rune]

?def coquetry

[hazy herald]

Word: coquetry

Definition (noun): playful behavior intended to arouse sexual interest

Definition requested by judas_the_clueless

[flat rune]

?def vexatious

[hazy herald]

Word: vexatious

Definition (adjective): causing irritation or annoyance

Definition requested by judas_the_clueless

[boreal ingot]

lmfao I can't believe you seriously answered

But your answer kind of proves my point

they all can be looked up

[flat rune]

Yup...

[boreal ingot]

maybe if you look it up and truly fail to find an answer then you ask here :p

[flat rune]

Yup...

[timber bluff]

how to memorize advanced vocabularies?

[flat rune]

Write the word(s) down and try to use them in verbal situations

[timber bluff]

i tried that, but they keep slipping out of my brain

[flat rune]

Well the first time riding a bike I scraped my knee so it's just repetition.

[timber bluff]

then, my sentences tend to become like word salad since i can't recall the correct words i need to use in the sentences

[boreal ingot]

There is no easy way. Firstly, don't overwhelm yourself by trying to learn more than a few words at a time. One would be optimal, though 3 or 4 at a time should not prove unattainable. Don't simply read the words and their definitions, but rather try to use the words daily, find instances of the words in use, and discuss the words. You should write sentences using the words for practice. Learn them in context, with sentences that may hint at their meanings. Once you feel you have sufficiently grasped the words and are capable of using them easily, you may move on to learning other words, yet you still must continue to use them on occasion, lest you forget them.

[dense oasis]

try to dive into what SRS is

and what Anki is

a thing that distributes notes over time used by medical students in the US, but can be used for everything

[timber bluff]

what is SRS?

[dense oasis]

Spaced Repetition System

an algorithm takes any amount of notes, gives you X amount per day, and decides when you should see the ones you saw before

[errant bane]

why does adding the 'a-' prefix change the meaning of some verbs and how (not changing the meaning entirely but somewhat changing its context) as in af-fix, a-buzz or ac-cumulate ??

[crisp glade]

Does anyone have any tips on improving writing skills? Cause I feel like I am kind of fluent when I talk, but when it comes to writing, my mind goes blank.

[lyric monolith]

Thanks

[verbal heron]

?def unforthcoming

[hazy herald]

Word: unforthcoming

No definitions listed.

Definition requested by vampire0458

[boreal ingot]

?def anti-intellectualists

[hazy herald]

Word: anti-intellectualists

No definitions listed.

Definition requested by scelultrix

[flat rune]

Is the developer the one that can update this bot?

[acoustic geyser]

Yo

Can you guys check it out?
Why would you do that = I want to know the reason why they did that
Why would you have done that = I want to know the reason why they have done that
Why would you be doing that = I want to know the reason why you are doing that at the moment

Is this correct?

Is this wrong as hell

[flat rune]

hex

[wind compass]

Hey you guys. Someone, whoever native or someone who learn the language. You had a method or methods for learn new words. Because i really need it.

[boreal ingot]

'Why would you do that?' = 'I want to know the reason why you did that.' OR 'I want to know the reason why you are saying that is what you would do in [x] situation.':

Scella: Hiii, I want fries pleasee :>
Arthur: Cuts Scella's finger off
Scella: WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT??? WHAT?
OR
2.
Arthur: So if you were on an island, what would you do?
Scella: I would kill myself.
Arthur: Why would you do that (if you were on an island)??

'Why would you have done that?' = **'I want to know the reason why you say you would change the actions that were taken in this situation that has already past in this way.' AKA, **'I want to know why you want to change how you already did things in this way.':

Scella: Hey, Arthur, remember when you ate that chicken and it made you sick?
Arthur: Yeah?
Scella: Would you still have eaten it had you known it would make you sick?
Arthur: Yeeaaasss!
Scella: Whaaaattt?? Why would you have done that??

'Why would you be doing that?' = **'**I want to know the reason why you are doing that (why you would be doing that) in this hypothetical situation that we are imagining.':

Arthur: Hey, if you were to be forced to eat a cat, how would you react?
Scella: Well, that depends, am I already eating a dog or am I being made to eat this cat out of nowhere?
Arthur: Girl, WHY would you be eating a dog?? Why would you be doing that?

[boreal ingot]

#📚｜english-questions message

[wind compass]

I appreciate it so much. I'm gonna practice it

[flat rune]

I don’t think that is allowed here

…

[boreal ingot]

yeah probably not

@hushed abyss could you take a look iss in all learning channeless

[dire aurora]

Hi everyone. I want to learn english. could you help me?

[flat rune]

https://tenor.com/view/catboy-anime-anime-cat-boy-og_hv-gif-26280365

[dire aurora]

thanks for your reply.

[flat rune]

Scella why leave me

will cru

[boreal ingot]

We can't teach you all of English but we can answer specific questions lol

[boreal ingot]

I wanted to eep

[dire aurora]

what does this mean? lol

[boreal ingot]

Scella**,** why did you leave me**?**

That was an informal way of saying it

[dire aurora]

I never left you.

[boreal ingot]

Judas was speaking to me

[flat rune]

https://tenor.com/view/bao-bao-the-whale-bao-vtuber-vtuber-chibi-bao-gif-18046893390138855445

[boreal ingot]

I left Judas, so Judas asked me 'Why did you leave?'

[dire aurora]

I see. please

[flat rune]

He's got the spirit!

[boreal ingot]

They said 'Scella'

My name

[dire aurora]

what?

[boreal ingot]

That means you have the correct attitude about learning, even if you are a bit confused.

[dire aurora]

right. You are kind man/woman.

[boreal ingot]

Thank you

[dire aurora]

good

thanks

[runic iris]

Connotation

[limpid nacelle]

Comprehensive

[supple holly]

I would say it but I'd get banned

[supple holly]

I'd love to engage in some coquetry

I'd love to be coquetrizing

(I made it up)

[flat rune]

Hi

Yur butot iddil

[supple holly]

Yes I agree. With whatever that is

[solid flume]

I just found out that in English grammar where in a sentence without a verb then it must be added to be and in a sentence that has a verb then it does not need to be added but replaced with do/does.
How come I just found out about this 😭

[supple holly]

And you know the best part? Just like everything else in English, this "rule" isn't always true

[verbal heron]

Did you not have to read English when you were in primary school?

[solid flume]

I think this is a basic lesson in English grammar and I just found this out, even if this is not all true

[solid flume]

I did but I haven't been paying attention properly during class time, I thought

[supple holly]

Good enough. This rule will help you through a lot of your early English learning

[verbal heron]

Well, buy a grammar book

[dense oasis]

This was the case for me as well, completely. I actually used to almost not even pass my English classes during the primary

Gotta push hard through it. Sooner or later you can grow way stronger

Times have changed since then. Now am fluent

[boreal ingot]

Did people back then not know names other than John, William, and Robert existed

And Richard

I did not think Richard was that old

[signal shell]

Every name is ancient

[dense oasis]

that's not only English, in my native, Polish, they also exist and have been existing for a nice chunk of time. just slightly mishaped

Henry Henryk, Richard Ryszard, John Jan, Alexander Aleksander etc

seems to be an European thing

[boreal ingot]

Oh they must come straight from PIE

Well we got Richard from French so ig that took a detour

[mint herald]

How exactly can you efficiently research on topic(s) and mine vocabulary/ideas for writing? (i.e. sources such as newspapers like Guardians/NYT talking about tech/economics/social issues)
I usually have to write essays discussing problems (non-native here) so not sure if my workflow is currently systematic enough

https://rentry.co/satreading ngl I only got this as some recommendations for reading + some piracy

[mint herald]

considering that writing a good essay really requires some thorough background knowledge + topic-specific vocabulary, does anyone have any recommendations on effectively researching/recording?

[timber bluff]

someone just streamed The Wild Robot movie here
the robot's name's Ross
she is smart n has human quality finally.

[crisp glade]

what is the difference between perspective and perception

[signal shell]

This may help:
https://thisvsthat.io/perception-vs-perspective

[ancient lodge]

How do you know if you add an s, 's, or s'

[dense oasis]

"s" is for plural (when there are many things, not only one)
Cat, cats
Dog, dogs
Parrot, parrots
Oven, ovens
Rug, rugs
Panda, pandas

and also:
's and s' are possessive, they express that something belongs to someone/something.
If there is one thing first, then use 's
A dog's house.
My mother's cat.
Panda's breakfast.

If there are many things first, then use s'
Pandas' house.
Dogs' food.
Citizens' liberty

And 3. information, you can use 's to shorten "is" or "has".
He is a guy.
He's a guy.

He has been here for a while.
He's been here for a while

[ancient lodge]

Thank youu

[flat rune]

Possessive Form
's is for singular nouns - dog**'s** toy.
Some plural nouns use s' - dogs' toys.
Plural noun not ending with s - children**'s** books.

Plural Form
Most nouns use only an s - dogs, cats, blankets
Nouns ending in S, X, Z, ch, or th uses "es."
A noun ending in Y (preceded by a consonant) uses "ies." - babies.

[dense oasis]

as above

✨

[flat rune]

That took an overwhelming amount of work to write

[dense oasis]

Mine too

[near wyvern]

It was very helpful

[shy swift]

Thanks a lot 🫶

[near wyvern]

How do u know like when to use comma?

[verbal heron]

comm?

[dense oasis]

probably a comma

[verbal heron]

oh

[dense oasis]

,

this sign

[near wyvern]

Yknow like when u use long sentences and stuff

There's commas

[flat rune]

Give me another 15m, Julias. XD

[near wyvern]

Take all the time u need lol

[flat rune]

No this is good for my teacher role. Ask more questions

@finite lantern You better get on my case

[dense oasis]

you can use commas when you use words like "but, however, although, though" or "since, because" (there are more words like this)

• I like her, but she doesn't like me.
• She is pretty. However, not for me.
• My dog likes her, since she feeds him.
• I love cats. Not the one you have, though.

Or words like "who/where/whom"

• I like the girl, who I told you about.

[near wyvern]

Ohh

[verbal heron]

are you sure about the last one?

[dense oasis]

Gotta reconsider hmm

a little fix

I am wondering, though. Like really I think there is way more to it

That's just the most common stuff

[verbal heron]

@near wyvern this is another example

[near wyvern]

?

[finite lantern]

ah man discord is fucked up

[flat rune]

Separating items

Lists: Use comma to separate items in a list - "I am buying grapes**,** lettuce**,** cheese**,** and crab tomorrow."

Independent clauses: A comma can be used to separate two independent clauses joined by a conjunction. - "I went to the theater**,** and I bought a ticket."

Setting Off Nonessential Information
Nonessential clauses: One can use commas to set off nonessential phrases or clauses. - "The tablet**,** which is on the trending list**,** is really cool."

Appositives: Commas can also be used to set off appositives. - "My friend**,** an astounding author**,** wrote this book."

Other various uses

Intro phrases: A comma can be used after an introductory phrase or word. - "After midnight**,** I'll meet you at the waterpark."

Dates and addresses: Using commas to separate dates & addresses. - April 19th**,** 2025**,or Blue Hill Rd,** Dallas**,** U.S.A (Rd = Road)

Clarifying meaning: Commas can be used to avoid ambiguity or clarify meaning. (This will be fun to write). -" Let's eat Vivek." Vs. "Let's eat**,** Vivek."

HOLY SHMOLY! Okay, I'm going to need to take a break.

[halcyon mason]

What is the difference between past simple and present perfect

[bright fog]

Hello everyone, I'm Victor. I'm here to enhance my spoken English

[slow palm]

"Who's these guy's whom has the same as each other" ?

Ik it's understandable but should be grammatical correct so plz help ?

[cyan lynx]

Who are these guys that are the same as each other?

Or

Who are these guys that have the same name as each other?

[boreal ingot]

Childrens'

[boreal ingot]

Gj

The comma thing was really good also

[flat rune]

Ily thanks

I think I also found my new explanation format

[boreal ingot]

Not 'that', rather 'who', @slow palm. Otherwise these are correct ^

Also, I think the second one should be plural 'names'

[boreal ingot]

That's lovely

[flat rune]

vc

[boreal ingot]

Você?

[flat rune]

VC

[boreal ingot]

Vice-captain?

[flat rune]

Voice channel

[boreal ingot]

hehe

oki

[rough saddle]

When it comes to writing in English, how can I avoid comma splice?

[flat rune]

Don’t write in English /j

[boreal ingot]

...

[flat rune]

What?

[boreal ingot]

that is not a good answer Judas

I told you what comma splices are in DMs. I thought you'd give them a serious answer

You're an English Helper

[rough saddle]

Can I also use an em dash to avoid comma splice?

[flat rune]

Sarry!

I’m tired!

Sarry

Sarry Scella

Sarry

[boreal ingot]

Comma splices happen when two independent clauses are connected with nothing but a comma. There are three ways of avoiding comma splices: coördinating conjunctions, full stops, and semicolons.

An independent clause is a sentence that can stand on its own syntactically. This is unrelated to what the sentence means. For example, 'It is not working.' may be semantically incomplete when viewed in a vacuum ('What is "it"?' would be the glaring question), but, syntactically, it has all the elements needed for it to be free-standing: it has a subject, a verb, and all the arguments the verb requires be present. An example of a dependant clause would be 'when she came'. It can't stand on its own; it needs the support of another clause.

Now, when two independent clauses come in a row and you put a comma therebetween, you have a comma splice:

I saw everything, I was not happy.
The man was really tall, I got scared.
The potatoes had been rotting for ages, I did not fear eating them.

The clauses on either side of the comma are both independent, yet we have connected them with a comma. That is a mistake.

Coördinating conjunctions are often shortened to 'FANBOYS'. This stands for 'For, and, nor, but, or, yet, so'. You often use them to connect things that aren't independent clauses (e.g., 'apples, potatoes, and oranges' and 'red or orange') and optionally use a comma before them in lists of three or more items (the Oxford comma), but when they connect independent clauses, there needs to come a comma before them; the comma is not optional. This is the first of the three methods of connecting independent clauses as to avoid a comma splice: comma + coördinating conjunction.

I saw everything***, and*** I was not happy.
The man was really tall***, so*** I got scared.
The potatoes had been rotting for ages***, yet*** I did not fear eating them.

The second method is to use a full stop, with a word to connect the ideas of the two clauses optionally. Conjunctive adverbs are the most common words to use for this purpose, but you can also use prepositional phrases.

I saw everything***.*** (Moreover,/As a result,/etc.) I was not happy.
The man was really tall***.*** (Resultantly,/As a result,/etc.) I got scared.
The potatos had been rotting for ages***.*** (However,/Regardless,/Nonetheless,/That notwithstanding,/etc.) I did not fear eating them.

The third method is to use a semicolon. The thing about semicolons is that they need a good sense of how connected the clauses are to be used. When independent clauses have very interconnected ideas, they are possible to connect with a semicolon rather than a full stop, but when they are very different, you may need to use a full stop instead. It really depends on intuition here, and I find it hard to explain. You may pick it up over time while reading texts that use semicolons.

Older works like to overuse semicolons in combination with coördinating conjunctions when connecting very long and complicated sentences since the reader may become confused as to what the coördinating conjunction is referring to, so the semicolon would serve as a long pause that helps the reader recognise that 'this is the end of the first item of those being connected'; and I must say it can be tiresome to read when sentences are written in this manner, yet it was quite common to do so, but I would certainly advise you against using this format in modern writing not intended to emulate the works of yore.

I hope you see what I did with that last paragraph.

[crisp glade]

Thank's mr

[timber bluff]

@signal shell

[crisp glade]

How do we use can and could?

[glass pelican]

when we writing a story which things we should consider?

[flat rune]

hey guys. On speechful ai I did full exam mode speaking tests twice already, on different days. And I got overall band score 8.0. How trustworthy is that website? I heard about it here and tried it out. I think it's being extremely generous to me and I should assume 6.5 or 7.0 instead of 8.0... What do you think?

[buoyant thicket]

When to use than instead of then

[fierce ivy]

Hello community, is there an active expert here who knows about the software and will provide me with all the information related to geospatial-geographic analysis programs with a Street View preview function, so that I can say more about such tools, because I will write that I used Python, Java scrit, Blender 3D, tools for creating all kinds of animations, and now I would like to deepen my knowledge in Geostatic, technological programs, to do something individually at home, can anyone recommend other software applications, virtual 3D, street view, because I only know 3 simple such programs Google earth pro studio, openstretmap, qgis, josm but I have not used them and will some expert say more, where could I find more such programs on the web, is there such software available on the Microsoft store, on Windows 11 or is there someone more experienced who will write that Microsoft does not offer such software, in which case where on the net can I find a database of such tools, but I will write that it will not be related to editing films, photos, only to do something virtually, I am looking for solutions to use a given program for everyday applications, only for it to be simple, average in use but so that I can do a lot of things with it, let someone here on this server be more helpful because I am green in this, I have no experience with it,if someone reads my entire message because I had to describe what I needed, all sorts of help, from an expert.

[flat rune]

…

[calm meteor]

these are completely different words 🥲

[buoyant thicket]

Yea exactly, people constantly confuse than and you can't hear the difference properly so I'm not 100% sure when what is correct, I was just asking for an explanation on the two

[timber bluff]

hub, why there is no event today ??

this is a valid serious question.

[calm meteor]

"than" used for comparisons and "then" – used for time/order or results

[flat rune]

👉 Than = comparison

She's taller than me.
I’d rather read than watch TV.
More useful than the last one.

👉 Then = time/sequence

I studied, then took a break.
Back then, I didn’t know.
Eat first, then we go.

⚠️ Common Mistake:
❌ He's better then me.
✅ He's better than me.

[boreal ingot]

Is this an English-language question?

[flat rune]

This isn't tech support.

[cloud badge]

Can is like yes or you are able to. Could is like maybe or might be able to basically, but it is a bit more complex than that.

[boreal ingot]

Can:

1. '[am/is/are] able to/[know/knows] how to'.
2. '[am/is/are] allowed to' .
3. Forms polite requests (informal).

1. I can lift 30 kilograms only.
2. Can I come in?
3. Can you help me with my homework?

Could:

1. '[was/were] able to/[knew] how to'.
2. '[was/were] allowed to'.
3. Forms polite requests (less informal).
4. Used to express something might be the case. 'It's possible that ...'.
5. Used in some wishes and conditionals and so on.
6. Used when backshifting 'can'.
7. Used when making suggestions.

1. When I was little I could play the piano.
2. I could could play any game I wanted as long as I wasn't too loud.
3. Could you help me with the dishes?
4. They could be anywhere right now; they could be killing my children.
   5-1. I wish I could help you.
   5-2. If I could save you, I would do it in a heartbeat.
   6-1. She said I could do whatever I wanted.
   6-2. They were shouting that they couldn't move at all throughout the procedure.
5. You could try chopping the body upp before disposing of it.

[kindred mauve]

Hi everybody

I have a question

What's the meaning of "not ever" in this sentence?

I can’t take hearing that I’m “still young” anymore. Not ever.

It sounds like "not anymore" for me. Is that right?

I don't know

[boreal ingot]

I looked for the post and read it. I think they mean 'I can’t take hearing that I’m “still young” anymore. I can't ever take it.'

[kindred mauve]

Hmmm I see

Thx

[haughty kiln]

what does "suppose" actually mean?

[timber bluff]

but I like the his sentences tho haha

[grave snow]

Suppose means to think that something might be true or to imagine a possible situation.

E.g. "I suppose you left your keys at home, since they’re not in your bag"

(You're supposing something is likely true)

Or

"Suppose you lost your keys, how would you get inside the house?"

(You're supposing a possible situation)

[haughty kiln]

thanks a lot, man!

[boreal ingot]

It's not an English question

[elfin estuary]

is it right to say ?
she is as famous for her singing as for her dancing
does it differ to her singing is as famous as her dancing

[timber bluff]

i have a question..How to speak naturally like english native speaker?

[elfin estuary]

speak a lot is the only way, i suppose

[supple holly]

It looks right. But kinda awkward. The sentence below flows better (in my opinion)

[boreal ingot]

Works, just a bit awkward, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it in a book

What makes it 'book-ish' to me is the ellipsis

She is as famous for her singing as she is for her dancing

It flows much better with the 'she is' included

but the 'she is' isn't needed

[supple holly]

Same thoughts

[boreal ingot]

Inetract with natives a lot and speak with them

Speak to yourself in English to get used to it

Don't be too scared to mess up. That's part of the learning process

etc. etc.

[boreal ingot]

Great minds think alike :3

We're just incredible

[lusty grove]

Considering you are advanced you should be pretty close to it, if you don't feel like you're there yet just keep talking, each time you do it is practice. 🙂

[timber bluff]

my role is only a mask here
lmao
by any chance, are u a british native or else?

[flat rune]

https://tenor.com/view/catboy-anime-anime-cat-boy-og_hv-gif-26280365

[waxen cradle]

Both sentences are correct! Personally, I would say the first sentence as "She is as famous for her singing as she is for her dancing". Even though it repeats the phrase "she is", it makes things extra-clear. But it is already correct the way you have written it, and just comes down to personal preference :)

(By the way, we say "does it differ from", not "does it differ to"!)

[acoustic geyser]

Hello

Is this sentence correctly?

We are about to be there

or we are almost there

[boreal ingot]

Both are correct

[timber bluff]

i guess so.

oops

[boreal ingot]

It's facinating how 'differs to [x]' is incorrect but '[be] different to [x]' is fine for British English speakers

[acoustic geyser]

Which one is the difference?

[waxen cradle]

That is interesting! “Be different to” definitely sounds odd for American English speakers; I exclusively use “different from”.

[waxen cradle]

"We are almost there" is more commonly used, but "we are about to be there" is also grammatically correct. "We are about to be there" sounds a bit awkward to me as an American English speaker though, so I'd encourage "We are almost there"!

[boreal ingot]

Just checked a British corpus for some examples, do these sound wrong to you if I may ask?

Cuz saying something like 'it is different to that' sounds weird to me as a British English learner, yet these examples sound 100% natural

[waxen cradle]

To be honest, yes, these all sound wrong to me! I would always use "from".
That being said, I'm sure there are plenty of Americans who do use "to", especially in casual conversation.

[supple holly]

I use "than"

[trail slate]

Is this okay to say?
"I do lap swimming"

[waxen cradle]

Agreed, "different than" is also correct. I was just focused on "different from" versus "different to".

[waxen cradle]

Yes, this is ok!

[boreal ingot]

thank you

[boreal ingot]

I see you're simply an inferior anglophone

[trail slate]

Is that more natural to say i do laps??

[waxen cradle]

No, I think the clarification of "lap swimming" is necessary here. Unless you are talking to other swimmers and the topic of swimming styles is already understood, I would suggest "I do lap swimming."

[trail slate]

Thanks

[lapis flint]

is there an easy way to learn past/present/future tense?

[boreal ingot]

This opened up the whole torso. I peeled back the skin and removed first the ribs and then the lungs. As I held them cool in my hands, it was obvious that his had been a hopeless plight. The lungs, usually as light and airy as cotton candy, were as heavy and thick as liver.

1. What does it mean to 'hold [x] cool'?
2. Should this not be 'as a liver'? Is this correct?

[waxen cradle]

1. I believe "cool" is used here as "calmly". I'd also associate it with "quietly" and "unbothered" too. The sentence gives me the picture of someone calmly observing the ribs and lungs they hold in their hands, studying them.
2. It is correct both ways. You can say "thick as liver" or "thick as a liver" in this sentence. It is a bit unusual describe something as "thick as liver", since most of us don't have a concept of how thick/dense liver is, but it works for a poetic passage like this.

[agile crow]

I think 1 likely means that the organ was cool, temperature-wise; if the person that held them was cool (as in calm), they likely would have done so coolly. But, who knows. As for 2, I read it as being similar to hard as rock to describe something hard. You can say either hard as rock or hard as a rock... who knows for sure, though.

[trail slate]

I learned this morning the he died is formal ??

[boreal ingot]

@waxen cradle, in reference to your answer for 1, I think the word would have to be 'coolly' not 'cool' for your interpretation, exactly as sack has said, though it's tempting to read it that way. I'm not sure if @agile crow's interpretation is correct, but this is from a pathologist describing an autopsy, so I think there is a high chance the body was cooler than normal. I didn't consider that before Zaz pointed out what they pointed out.
As for 2, thank you @waxen cradle and @agile crow, you both helped 💜

[waxen cradle]

Hi Scella, I assumed this came from a fictional literature passage, and that the author had chosen “cool” for style. I agree “coolly” is correct (adverb form) for the meaning I described.

If it is a nonfiction passage describing a medical autopsy, then I agree, “cool” is probably signifying that the organ is cool in temperature!

[boreal ingot]

Well, it's not the autopsy report, but it is non-fiction, just the doctor describing the autopsy, in case that changes anything: https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/heavy-metal

But if we all agree it's about temperature, I find that an interesting position that cool is in

Never have I seen such a construction

I don't think

[agile crow]

English can get a little creative with word order sometimes

[signal shell]

I'll throw in my two cents on number 2. You've already got some great responses there, but I'd like to add that "liver" can be treated as either a countable or uncountable noun, if that helps you to wrap your mind around it.

[boreal ingot]

uncountable?

would 'much liver' be correct?

Wouldn't that be in refrenece to 'liver' as a food

[signal shell]

Depends on the context, but yeah

[boreal ingot]

or not even that, not sure

What does it mean

[signal shell]

Definitely works there, yes

I ate so much liver for dinner

I'm guessing that it is possible that it could also work in the context of ||dismembered organs|| but I don't really know for sure

[boreal ingot]

Hmm, I can't see it being uncountable other than as a food

could you give an example

They obviously don't mean food here

in the text I sent I mean

[signal shell]

Livers don't really have to be whole in order to function

So I'm guessing there's some justification for treating it as uncountable

[boreal ingot]

When (a) liver isn't whole, it still works.

^ this can't be said, can it?

When (a) water isn't clean, we can't drink it.

Doesn't seem like it's uncountable if we compare it with nouns like 'rice' and 'water'

[signal shell]

Right, I don't think it works quite as easily as water or rice does

But I still think it's possible in more restricted contexts

I'll look around for an example

[weary nexus]

can someone walked me through how to write a five paragraph argumentative essay please broken down step by step and how to find the resources for what i am arguing withe the citated sources in the essay too because i have a learning disability and need help with it please dm me

[signal shell]

@boreal ingot

This is the only one I've found so far, and it seems I'll struggle to find any more

It says "how much liver" instead of "how much of the liver"

[boreal ingot]

oh yes

[signal shell]

Seems like uncountable to me

[boreal ingot]

that is interesting

it sounds normal too

they're almost using it like 'meat of the liver', 'liver tissue' though

I don't think that's what 'as thick as liver' is doing

[signal shell]

"Liver matter" is what I came up with

But I like yours too

[boreal ingot]

Like, we can't say 'as big as house' or 'as deep as sea'

so it's not about the 'as [x] as [y]' construction

we can say 'as blue as water' and 'as bloody as meat'

so I guess 'liver' just means 'liver matter' like you said

which would mean they aren't talking about the thickness of the lungs, but the thickness of the lung matter, whatever that is

so the walls of the lungs were as thick as liver, aka, as thick as liver matter

prolly not an exact description just a comparasion, but thas interesting

I was thinking along the lines of 'a liver is this thick from end to end'

but what exactly is thickness of matter

is that how dense it is?

[signal shell]

Right, when talking about uncountable materials, "thick" can mean dense or viscous or stupid. Maybe a few other meanings that I can't think of atm

I guess this isn't exclusive to uncountable nouns, now that I think about it

[boreal ingot]

'stupid'?

[boreal ingot]

Yeah I mean you can say 'as thick as a block of cheese' or smth

[signal shell]

"Stop that! You'll burn down the house. Are you thick?"

I think it's just an informal usage

[boreal ingot]

but what I had initially tacken issue with was the fact 'liver' didn't have an article before it, cuz again, I was imagining measuring a liver side to side

[signal shell]

You can also call someone "dense" in the same exact way

[boreal ingot]

Ah, but you said 'when talking about uncountable materials'

that's why I was confused

[signal shell]

Yeah I know

I was being thick

[boreal ingot]

😔

Well, Mr Ross, thank you for helping me solve this mystery

I'll leave you with the fact that 'anathema' is a weird noun if you wanna think about it as thanks

[signal shell]

I hate it, thanks

It is my opinion that this word is an autonym

[boreal ingot]

do you mean autological?

@signal shell

hmmm, well, it doesn't describe itself, it describes what other may feel about it

so not quite

and it doesn't call itself anything, so it couldn't be an autonym

I fear this word is just a word

[signal shell]

It's an autonym if I dislike it lol

I realize it only works if I feel that way, which is why I prefaced my statement with "it's my opinion"

If you like the word, you are welcome to have a differing opinion

This was just meant to be my clever way of saying that I strongly dislike it

[boreal ingot]

Is anathema a people who call thenselves 'anathema'

[signal shell]

Ohhh

Yeah I'm confused

[boreal ingot]

Nono, I'm not disagreeing about hating on anathema, I'm disagreeing with the usage of 'autonym'

[signal shell]

I meant autological

[boreal ingot]

hehe Im so smart

(I'm not)

[signal shell]

You are smart

[boreal ingot]

Yet this point still stands ^

I guess it depends if it's autological on who's making the claim that it's autological

like, normally autological words are objectively so I think

polysyllabic is unquestionably autological

[signal shell]

Right, I'm applying the word subjectively, and intentionally so

I feel clever

It would have landed better if I had started with the correct word

[boreal ingot]

[signal shell]

And so now I feel stupid

[boreal ingot]

It's okay Mr Ross I appreciate the joke regardless

[boreal ingot]

You're like the second smartest person on this server

[signal shell]

Okay I have to go to bed

[signal shell]

Second to you, I suppose

[boreal ingot]

Good night Mr Ross 💜

[boreal ingot]

To Riidefi, I'm a close 300th

[signal shell]

Lol

[boreal ingot]

Sweet dreams

Thanks for the help

[signal shell]

Thanks bye

[boreal ingot]

What does it mean for a pang to be sweet? I thought it was used for painful emotions?

“It’s like this,” she began in a weak and quivering voice, in which, however, there was a note that pierced my heart with a sweet pang; "don't think that …

[kindred mauve]

Hey guys.

Is "to" optional in the expression "help to do something"?

I came across this sentence today:

Can you help safeguard the young plants?

[boreal ingot]

Wiktionary says in the sense you're using it in both the bare infinitive and the full infinitive are used

I think Riidefi and I spoke about this once. Let me try to find it

Okay can't find the convo and Riidefi deletes old messages apparently so it would be useless to find it, but yeah, both are used

Cambridge dictionary article agrees with Wiktionary

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/help-somebody-to-do

It's more natural without the 'to', by the way

But both are acceptable

It may also be a British-American thing, I've seen one claim that using 'to' is more British

[timber bluff]

yes, you can omit that. it's more common in everyday conversation.
you can add 'to' for a touch of formal tone or politeness or clarity

[boreal ingot]

So, if I didn't mess up my maths:

1. Historically, 'help to [verb]' was 2.69565 times as common as 'help [verb]'
2. In American English, 'help [verb]' is 5.13692 times as common as 'help to [verb]'
3. In British English, 'help [verb]' is 1.12277 times as common as 'help to [verb]'

So, American English strongly prefers excluding the 'to', British English doesn't really care, both are fine, and in the past (1470s–1690) including the 'to' was slightly prefered.

Note that this is only for when there is no noun or pronoun stated. So 'help (to) explain' and 'help (to) do', not 'help [someone] (to) explain' and 'help [someone] (to) do'.
I'd look into the numbers for those, but I've run out of free searches on the corpora site for today. You only get 20 a day and I have 1 left today lol.

ngl I do not trust my maths but thas what I got

[timber bluff]

@boreal ingot what does this mean Scella? why this appear?

[boreal ingot]

No idea, I've seen it once or twice. Not sure why

[boreal ingot]

Also, besides the data I've offered you, there is probably an inclination to use the 'to' in higher registers of American English

It sounds a bit more proper

[timber bluff]

what should i do? do i click 'resolve'?

[boreal ingot]

I guess lol

[timber bluff]

it leads me to my account, bbut idk what to change. lmao

[latent sentinel]

tung tung tung sahoor

[boreal ingot]

1. How common is this sense of 'hire'?

Hire a room.

2. How common is this sense of 'hire'?

Hire it built.
Hire it done.
Hire it fixed.

[signal shell]

To answer both questions, in America, never. Since moving to Ireland, I've seen the former quite a bit. I wouldn't be surprised to encounter the latter at this point, but I can't recall it specifically. I'll try to pay attention more.

[boreal ingot]

So both are strictly British/British Isles?

Got it

many thanks Mr Ross 💜

[signal shell]

Well, I can rule out southern USA, at least

Can't speak for the rest of the English speaking world

[boreal ingot]

Thank youuu :>

[signal shell]

Just don't forget places like Australia exist

[boreal ingot]

Like who

[signal shell]

Lol

[boreal ingot]

What does it mean for a pang to be sweet? I thought it was used for painful emotions?

“It’s like this,” she began in a weak and quivering voice, in which, however, there was a note that pierced my heart with a sweet pang; "don't think that …

[signal shell]

Perhaps this is still a painful emotion

[boreal ingot]

hmm

[signal shell]

I imagine this is something akin to how people say "bittersweet"

[boreal ingot]

oo I see

Kimcheese just leeching off your answer smh

thanks Mr Rosss

and Kim

[supple holly]

I was too lazy to verbalize my thoughts 😔

[signal shell]

It's okay. I'll speak for you

[boreal ingot]

Mr Ross speaks for all

He is the tongue of the weak

[signal shell]

Kimcheese would prefer that I not speak for them on every occasion

[supple holly]

But I mean, unconventional descriptions stand out more. Probably more vivid too, to the reader. I think writers generally aim for this

[boreal ingot]

As a reader, writers' need to explain everything to me; I'm too dumb

[signal shell]

Kimcheese takes offense to this

[boreal ingot]

Tell Kimcheese to shove that offense

Pretty please

[supple holly]

What happened to me preferring you not to speak for me on every occasion

[boreal ingot]

[signal shell]

I don't care what you think

I only speak what you think

This is my curse in life

[boreal ingot]

What do I think

tell me Mr Ross

[signal shell]

Something about middle English and vowel shifts. I'm not really sure; your mind is all ascatter.

[boreal ingot]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I liek ehat you id thatere

there

what

like

did

there

[signal shell]

I could read that without any of the corrections

[boreal ingot]

I am sorry

or wait

is that a reprimand or a flex

[signal shell]

It's a flex

[boreal ingot]

Ah lmfao 😭

[boreal ingot]

oh I corrected 'there' twice

brb I'm goign to go come up with an English question

this channel needs life

I wrote this a long time ago but never posted it:

Vaults are guarded by challenges in each room***,*** and can be a source of many high level Enchanted Books and equipment including a very rare chance to receive a Trident

1. Why is there a comma there? (it's in bold italics)
2. Why is 'high level' not hyphenated?
3. Can a chance be very rare? I would think 'very small' is much more fitting. Is it weird?

This is from the Minecraft 1.21 patch notes

My main guess now is that te first two are just mistakes

no other possibility

but what about the third

[supple holly]

1. Comma is fine if it helps with readability. I know some will argue it's unnecessary, but I feel like a pause there makes it more 'impactful?'

2. Definitely a mistake. But doesn't impede comprehension. I doubt game devs care about this when writing patch notes anyway

3. Yes, it is normal, not weird at all. Sense 1, "not happening, etc., very often"

And also this

[signal shell]

If the opportunity of encountering a vault is very rare, then perhaps it's not totally wrong, but I have the feeling that they do intend to mean that once the opportunity arises, there is still a small probability of the trident being obtained. In which case, "a very small chance" would be more appropriate here.

[signal shell]

There may be some confusion on the "rare chance" meaning here. imagine finding a rare coin and flipping it to see if you get heads. Was it a rare chance to get a heads? Or a rare chance to flip such a coin?

In the case of this text, I'd say it's a rare chance to find a vault, but a small chance to obtain the trident from such a vault.

[boreal ingot]

So a rare chance is a chance you have a small chance to have

As I was thinking

yes?

[signal shell]

But I'm not entirely familiar with this game mechanic so I can't say for certain

[boreal ingot]

Idk something sounds really wrong about 'rare chance'

liek what do you mean the chance itself is rare

not the event

[boreal ingot]

1. The comma feels like an unnatural pause there tbh. Like I get using commas against the 'rules' for effect, but there it's just kinda meh
2. makes sense

[signal shell]

Like, an opportunity that doesn't arise often

[boreal ingot]

I feel liek these mean 'it's not often that we get the chance to do [x], so a chance to do [x] is a rare chance'

[signal shell]

That sounds like what I'm trying to say lol

[supple holly]

Well, let's say you have a 1% chance. That's 1 out of 100 instances. Wouldn't that be rare?

[boreal ingot]

like, the chance is some %, but to get the chance is 1%

that means the chance is rareI think Mr Ross understands what I mean

[supple holly]

The exact meaning of "rare" here can be inferred from the context. Because you already have the coin, "a rare chance to flip a coin" doesn't mean the same as "a rare chance to get heads," something that's yet to happen

[supple holly]

Nah nah. The chance itself is 1%, which is why it is rare

[boreal ingot]

no, the result is rare, but the chance may or may not be rare

maybe you can try every second

[signal shell]

Right. I agree that what they meant is a small probability when they said rare chance. But I can't find any other examples of this phrase being used quite like this

[boreal ingot]

so even though each attempt is 1% to succeed

[signal shell]

https://ludwig.guru/s/a+rare+chance

[boreal ingot]

the chance isn't rare, cuz you get the chance to try all the time

[signal shell]

All of these examples are talking about opportunities that don't arise often

Not necessarily about what the odds are of successfully taking advantage of the opportunity

[boreal ingot]

but if you had to wait to get a go at this 1% chance thing, had to work for it, had to go through some things, then the chance itself is rare

[supple holly]

Try this

It's prolly mostly used in gaming

[supple holly]

Well, what if you don't get the chance to try all the time

Remember, we're talking about this specific game mechanic here

[boreal ingot]

then when you get the chance to try (not gurenteed to win) then iss a rare chance

Iss like, the chance to get the chance

rare = low chance to get

low chance to get the chance to try = rare chance

Maybe informally it's been corrupted

[supple holly]

It doesn't have this many layers lol. "Rare chance" just means "low chance"

[boreal ingot]

nope

I refuse

The power of Christ compels you, go away demon

English langauge demon

[signal shell]

Yeah, I'm certain "rare chance" gets used informally (and possibly formally) like this quite frequently, especially in talking about game mechanics

[supple holly]

Ignore the example

[signal shell]

There's quite a common chance of hearing this from the Minecraft community

[boreal ingot]

YEA, a chance that doesn't happen often

[supple holly]

etc.

[boreal ingot]

this sounds disgusting

I'm going prescriptivist

[supple holly]

Not happening often. A chance that doesn't happen often

It's just that

[boreal ingot]

yeah, you get the chance sometimes, you don't get teh chance often

that says nothing about how high/low the chance is

I think I've discovered a new hill

[signal shell]

Okay let's take another illustration

[boreal ingot]

It might be a nice grave

[signal shell]

I get my allowance every day and decide to spend it on a pack of trading cards every day. There's this one trading card I've been trying to get that's very rare. Everyday I end up disappointed from not getting it.

It's not a rare chance here because the chance of my getting one happens every day. But there's quite a low chance of me getting one each day since there are very few copies of the card I'm trying to get.

[supple holly]

Ehhh. Maybe we shouldn't think of "chance" as "level of possibility," but as "opportunity?"

Like, "have the rare opportunity to get this"

[boreal ingot]

Wait I thought you were disagreeing with me lol

[signal shell]

I'm totally agreeing with you lol

[boreal ingot]

A Teacher, an English Helper, and another English Helper walk into a class room

[signal shell]

Right, this is what we are saying should be the proper usage of "rare chance" but the intended meaning in the patch notes appears to mean "low probability"

An understandable error to make, but still an error

[boreal ingot]

logic wins

My hill abounds with joy and I am not yet dead

[signal shell]

But it's probably going to be used this way more and more

Eventually, the definitions listed in the dictionary will be updated and allow for this to be interpreted as correct usage

[supple holly]

Both work and I am still reading it as the latter

[signal shell]

Maybe some dictionaries are already there, idk

[supple holly]

I don't get you guys' perspective but oh well. Maybe I've just been Stockholm'd into normalizing it, after gaming so much

[boreal ingot]

When that day coems I shall weep

[boreal ingot]

Think about it like maths idk

well you don't need to

but when the day comes that you need to make such a distinction then you shall know fear

[signal shell]

Just use words like "opportunity" and "probability" and you'll be able to make the distinction easily enough

Avoid using "chance"

[supple holly]

I refuse

[boreal ingot]

multiply how often you get to try and how often you actually succeed

[signal shell]

Alright. That's your decision, but don't expect Scella to attend your funeral

[supple holly]

Her loss, because my funeral will be a party

Good talk though

[boreal ingot]

Mr Ross you know me too well. I am the most insufferable precisian!

[signal shell]

That's a new word

[boreal ingot]

My funeral will be closed casket cuz that bridge is highhhhh

[boreal ingot]

hehe

[signal shell]

I'm not understanding something here

Why are we talking about bridges?

[boreal ingot]

suicide joke

[supple holly]

Because we're talking about funerals

Duh

[signal shell]

Ohhh

Okay I'm dumb

I get it now

[boreal ingot]

Mr Ross is simply too pure

[signal shell]

I should not have let that one go over my head, but I guess the bridge really was just that high

Okay I shall disappear for a little while. I'll be back before class starts

[boreal ingot]

bteebeye

[flat rune]

Hi native speaker or advanced speaker

"Last week we had a storm"

The phrase "we had storm" isn't pretty common in my language. We tend to use "There was storm last week."

Is it common in english?

[balmy dome]

Why can't I undertend her? Is it the accent or is there something wrong with me?

(first listen to the short audio and then view the lyrics below)

||Tonight is perfect for crying out loud
Late night and you don't take the known cloud
Alright I'm gonna act on my own
Alright, Alright||

[timber bluff]

you are in Ireland?

[supple holly]

Maybe because it's ... auto tuned?

[timber bluff]

love Ikigai

[balmy dome]

Me too hehe. Want the full track?

[timber bluff]

yes, it's so common

[timber bluff]

sure

[balmy dome]

Here you go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrn-W-VrMUU

I went through literal hell to get those lyrics (machine learning audio transcription + excessive googling)

[timber bluff]

thankyou

[balmy dome]

Yw

Lemme know if you need the full lyrics

[timber bluff]

i like the melody

[signal shell]

Yes

[balmy dome]

I'm not a fan of the male vocals tho, which turned out to be female vocals from a different song lol

It's a mix of 2 songs + Japanese phrases

[balmy dome]

Well, I learned some valuable skills in the process so it wasn't completely in vain, I guess

The time, I mean

[timber bluff]

it's first time hear it, i like the ending sound somehow wishing there's something more

[timber bluff]

why? i mean..among all places around the globe, why Ireland.. lol

[signal shell]

why not

[timber bluff]

it's...cold there..

[signal shell]

true

[timber bluff]

it doesn't match ur personality..

[boreal ingot]

there is always colder

well until there isn't

[balmy dome]

What's interesting is I've never heard anyone referring to coke as the known cloud

[signal shell]

By saying "we had", you can indicate that we experienced the storm, whereas saying "there was", you only indicate the existence of the storm. This can be an important distinction in some contexts since it acknowledges that other places can have different weather patterns. If you only say "there was a storm last week", one may have to ask "where was it?". When you say "we had a storm last week", it implies that it was wherever the speaker was at that time.

[timber bluff]

perfect. too long though

[timber bluff]

is coke here the same as the drink Coke?

this is too poetic for me lol

[slender owl]

hey guys

[rocky lynx]

Hii

[abstract galleon]

Hello, my name is José Luis, I am from the Dominican Republic (Native Language: Spanish, Age: 20, and I like to practice English and Spanish), whenever you want to talk, I am almost at any time, just write to me, I am very new to English but here we are enchandole. Earn more every day

[crisp elm]

Hello José, my name is Régis, i am from Brazil, and a loke to pratice English too 😅, but only text, i don't want speak English, in moment...

[boreal ingot]

https://youtu.be/0IgQOiiyjLQ?t=1968
Does the stress he puts on the '3' of the second 'EF3' not feel weird? I'd expect that sort of stress if the number were higher and would expect the stress to be on 'another' when they're both the same

@signal shell you've brought up Brew's speech patterns before, so maybe you have something to note

[flat rune]

because
has = possesive

so I thought it sounds weird for me

could you pls help me for giving some common expression about weather pattern and these expression are correct or not?

1. we had rain yesterday.
2. I had rain last week.
3. We had flood in our house yesterday

What else?

[flat rune]

Hi regis, this is for questions section, you'd better to join another part of this server

[signal shell]

yeah i think you are right. this is probably a product of his script reading, where he may have anticipated that the number would be different but it ended up being the same

[signal shell]

in this case, "has" is not being used to show possession, but rather it is showing a thing/event/condition being experienced.
We have a problem.
You have a headache.
He is having a good day today.
I had tacos for lunch.

[timber bluff]

i prefer saying 'we'd got rain yesterday'

we caught a rain yesterday

@signal shell thoughts?

[crisp elm]

Ok, sorry

[tepid bough]

hi guys. What is the difference between set and setting. And also why can’t i choose setting in this case (the ans is set)

[tepid bough]

q54

[boreal ingot]

This is a meaning of 'set' not shared by 'setting'

'Setting' can mean the context of the thing being acted itself, so it could be in a modern setting, maybe a fantasy setting, etc., but set it the place where you do the acting and all the items you use for acting etc.

[tepid bough]

but in the question’s context, why can’t i use setting?

setting i think it can be used for scenery/stage

[tepid bough]

the question itself is shit af:))). It was from an entrance test to the high school for the gifted from Ho Chi Minh city. The ans is set, but my nothern teachers ( I’m from nothern Vietnam ) said it was setting lol

[boreal ingot]

The setting is the place, time, and atmosphere that a story happens in.

The set is the actual props that you use when acting (swords, fake valuables, etc.), the location at which you act (a stage, a studio, etc.), and the decorations of the place whereat you're acting, etc.

In this case, they're talking about where the acting happaned, not the place/time the story happens in or the atmosphere (historical). They're saying 'this is where they act it', and, as I said, the place (stage, studio, etc.) is part of the set.

The setting is about the story; the set is about the acting.

Confusingly though, when you want to talk about the setting, you use the verb 'to set': 'She sets the story in a medieval context' (much more commonly in the passive: 'the story is set in a medieval context').

[tepid bough]

oh right

ur explanation is much clearer than my teacher

tysm

[boreal ingot]

Happy to be of service

[balmy dome]

Lol no, what I meant was cocaine

[robust bone]

How often do you hear someone ask something like "How do you figure that" as a synonym of "How did you find that out"? Is it supposed to sound funny or silly?

Huel said it in breaking bad

[balmy dome]

They're similar yet different in meanings:

Ngl it took me like 3 minutes to figure out how to switch it off.

To this day he has no idea it was me. We eventually parted ways and he never found out the truth... I think

[robust bone]

But is it funny when someone says it? I just have the impression that it's supposed to sound slightly funny, maybe

[balmy dome]

I can't say for sure without a context

[flat rune]

Agreed

But in general not very many people say that

[obtuse reef]

No. Not funny.

Unless you say it in a funny, high pitched voice.

[acoustic geyser]

I thought we cant use neither in a negative form?

[timber bluff]

i knew it! xD
i just wish it was just Coke the drink..i mean..it's less poisonous at least..i guess xd

[timber bluff]

i think that means the person only 'assume' or 'think', and not discover or solve.

so, it's more like not concluding something yet

otherwise, he might just lazy to say the complete phrase to sound funny

[merry dawn]

In memes we dont have to follow grammar rules so strictly, you can also see memes using "who is you" for example

famous rule of cool

[timber bluff]

and sometimes sarcasm too ahaha

[merry dawn]

if its understandable and (mostly) funny, go with it

[merry dawn]

exactly

[flat rune]

Its like
have = experiencing

[cloud badge]

Its not supposed to sound funny, the difference is finding something out doesn't take any thinking, you just get the information. Figuring out means you had to think about it, solve some kind of problem or find some clue to get the information.

[atomic pawn]

I jumped into pond for swimming and i went deeper.

Which one is correct?
I am in the water.
I am underwater.

[supple holly]

2nd one is more correct, but both are fine

"Underwater" is when your whole body is under the water surface

"In the water" can mean the same thing too, but usually it just means your body is underwater but your head, or some other body part, is above it

[boreal ingot]

Me when ghost ping: 😔

[boreal ingot]

Kim being smart for once, that's lovely

[flat rune]

Are you sure?

Im swimming under the sea
or In the sea?

[boreal ingot]

If you're under the sea I think you're in the rock under the sea

If you're swimming in the sea you're at the top of the water

[supple holly]

You can do both. But if you're swimming under the sea, it's more like you're diving

[boreal ingot]

If you're swimming underwater in the sea you're actually diving

[supple holly]

Twins

[boreal ingot]

Hehe

[supple holly]

You always do extensive research for your answers. I'm too lazy to do that so I don't usually answer lol. Unless it's something I'm 100% sure about

[boreal ingot]

Unrelated, can we really say 'under the sea' meaning 'underwater in the sea'?

To me it sounds like under the entirety of the body of water we call the sea

[supple holly]

Yes. Like that one Little Mermaid song

[boreal ingot]

So either at THE very bottom, or in the rock

[supple holly]

Don't take it too literally lol

[boreal ingot]

Hmm idk the song

Maybe the mermaid was dumb

[supple holly]

https://youtu.be/GC_mV1IpjWA

[boreal ingot]

It seems this is a mistake I often

[boreal ingot]

Hmm

What if

[supple holly]

Interestingly, if you say "below the sea," I would think of it the same way you do

But not sure if "below the sea" actually means that or not

[boreal ingot]

Hiyya, @signal shell, could you tell us your thoughts on this?

Some context, I think we can't say 'swim under the sea' cuz that, to me, would mean swim under the entire weight of the sea, aka, at the very bottom, or swim inside the rock under the sea. Kim says it can either mean 'underwater in the sea' or what I said it means.
He says he would think like me when it comes to 'below the sea' but not 'under'.

I was curious what you think about the matter

[boreal ingot]

Are you interrupting 'the sea' as 'the sea surface'?

But only for 'under'

Quite odd indeed

Kim, you are of a curious mind

[boreal ingot]

Also, I'm sorry for saying that; it was a joke. Often my answers are also without research and when I send one of my long answers with research the learner never responds

[supple holly]

Never really thought about it. It's more like, I know what the whole phrase means, so I just leave it at that

I don't look into it word-by-word

[supple holly]

I know it was a joke lol. But it's also true I also like reading your long messages, even if I don't understand half of it

[boreal ingot]

So this is why I think sentences are weird more often than the average person

[boreal ingot]

If you can't understand them then practically no one can

[supple holly]

I was slightly exaggerating don't take it too literally. Hehe

[signal shell]

I've done a bit of research on the topic and what I've found does more-or-less align with my intuition. "Under the sea" does often refer to being under the surface of the sea.

Other related phrases can be found in sentences like, "the duck dove under the water"

We also have a phrasal verb "go under" which means "to sink" often used for ships

[boreal ingot]

@signal shell @median fractal is this also the case with 'below'?

Pineapple below the sea
Or would that always refer to 'at the sea floor or under it'?

[boreal ingot]

Ig Kim was interpreting it as sea surface, as Riidefi seems to be

But Kim only did that with 'under', not 'below'

It's just as unclear with under though

Like, 'caves under the sea' would be below the bed, no?

How do you feel about using 'below' there instead of 'under'?

[signal shell]

We often collocate "below sea level"

I'm not sure what "below the sea" would mean tbh

Good to know

I did find there was a film made called "Below the Sea" which seems to be about an underwater expedition

[boreal ingot]

So below is in the bed, under is either in the bed or underwater?

So if I want to refer to pockets of air within the sea bed (dk if that's a thing but anyway), I can't say

Pockets of air under the sea
But I can say
Pockets of air beneath/below the sea

Same thing with earthquakes?

Earthquakes under the sea can disturb the water
Earthquakes below/beneath the sea can disturb the water

[signal shell]

Except I'm pretty sure that pockets of air can exist under the sea

Oh right

I need to pay attention to the entire statement lol

[boreal ingot]

1. Thank you
2. What I meant is that the earthquake would be in the sea bed but would affect the water. So to refer to the sea bed I'd have to say 'below the sea'?

Honestly I'm just trying to understand this distinction between under and below when it comes to the sea through examples

[signal shell]

I have no idea how disturbances in the water are talked about in conjunction with earthquake events

[boreal ingot]

Right, that makes sense

My many thanks to you three, @signal shell @median fractal @supple holly

[boreal ingot]

Do you all hear 'foal' and 'farrow' (as verbs) much?

[flat rune]

hmmm?

[boreal ingot]

I don't think that answers my question

[flat rune]

underwater in the sea
or
under the sea
is enough?

[boreal ingot]

under the sea is enough

[flat rune]

@signal shell right?

[boreal ingot]

a long conversation was had here abt it

anyways

Do you all hear 'foal' and 'farrow' (as verbs) much?

[signal shell]

Seems reasonable, yes

[boreal ingot]

no idea

[signal shell]

The comment about the apples really clarifies the issue

[boreal ingot]

Do you all hear 'foal' and 'farrow' (as verbs) much?

[supple holly]

Poor Scella. Thrice and no one answered 😔 but no, I don't ever hear them. Seems too specific. Instead I say something like "give birth to" or just "birth"

[boreal ingot]

Thanks Kim

[timber bluff]

why i only heard these words when a character cursing someone else xD

[boreal ingot]

huh how

How are these insults

[timber bluff]

hmm.. sorry for the words maybe something like this
"Begone, you scrawny little foal!"

[boreal ingot]

calling someone a small horse is an insult?

very odd

[timber bluff]

it reminds me of Gandalf

[signal shell]

Nope, never. I don't even know the word "farrow" in any part of speech

[signal shell]

That's news to me

[boreal ingot]

Oh alright :(

Have you heard 'in foal'?

[signal shell]

Nope

[boreal ingot]

these cool animal words just being unknown saddens me

[signal shell]

Perhaps I just know nothing of horses

Go talk to people in rural areas, maybe they know this stuff

[boreal ingot]

what about an unkindness of ravens?

[timber bluff]

it's used in some lines in LOTR though, the word 'foul'

[signal shell]

Haven't heard that one lol

[boreal ingot]

foul and foal are not the same

foul is an insult though yeah, foal just means baby horse

[signal shell]

Sometimes I think people just like being super creative when coming up with collective nouns for various animals

I don't really like it, at times

[boreal ingot]

ah alright

this greatly saddens me

[boreal ingot]

I love it

[signal shell]

Like, just make a short list of words which vary depending on the grouping patterns

Like, herd for any land animals that gather in fields

[boreal ingot]

there was a funny collective noun for owls lemme try to find it

[signal shell]

School for any sea animal that gathers in open waters

[boreal ingot]

ah yes, a parliament

a parliament of owls is so silly 😭

[signal shell]

Colony for any animal that builds their own structures to live in

Flock for any flying animals that gather in the sky

I'm fine with these sorts of things

But to have a different word for every kind of bird is ridiculous

[timber bluff]

ahh yeahh, meaybe i misheard it. tank u

[boreal ingot]

even then, 'foul' is an adjective not a noun

although foul and foal aren't ptonounced the same

[signal shell]

Foul can be used as a noun

But I suppose as an insult

[boreal ingot]

there is also fowl said like foul, but iss a noun, but idk if people use that one as an insult, I don't think so

[signal shell]

It's probably an adjective yeah

Archaicly, it seems the noun could be used as an insult

Apparently, archaicly isn't a word lol, I guess it's archaically

I'm dumb

[boreal ingot]

oh yea I remember that now

I've only heard it in sports contexts I think?

we use it in Arabic too

I remember hearing my cousins scream 'foullllll' at one another while playing football

[boreal ingot]

hehe

[boreal ingot]

Thank you Mr Ross

[boreal ingot]

I love this so much

@signal shell so 'methinks' means 'it seems to me' as we know, but I'm curious if you too feel people have been misusing it in modern times to mean 'I think'?

[timber bluff]

ahh so only for adjective and verb yea?

[signal shell]

I have no idea lol

Methinks I'm using it correctly 🤣

[boreal ingot]

'it seems to me that I'm uing it correctly' hmmm

seems right

[boreal ingot]

apparently in the far past it was used as a noun to mean 'a foul person or thing'

as Mr Ross has so kindly pointed out

[boreal ingot]

Is this 'LOTR' perchance set long ago in the past?

[timber bluff]

what? what do u mean?

[boreal ingot]

Uh, I'm not sure what you don't get

[timber bluff]

the elf characters maybe

[boreal ingot]

Is 'LOTR' set in the far past?

[timber bluff]

kinda archaic sense?

[timber bluff]

i guess so..they use archaic words sentence structure and all

[signal shell]

Kinda, I guess. It doesn't really seem to be set on earth as we know it. Maybe it's another planet. Idk. It certainly has a far past type of vibe

[timber bluff]

yeah..planet with elves and giants and dwarves

[boreal ingot]

oh theyre more than one book and theyre from the 1950s

[timber bluff]

but maybe it's actully earth..where giants and magics still exists

[boreal ingot]

Yeah Wikipedia says it's set in Middle Earth which is a place from Norse mythology and I think also Anglo-Saxon mythology

[signal shell]

Yeah that's when the books were written, but the setting is certainly more into the past than that

[boreal ingot]

does it use cool words?

[signal shell]

The author was really quite fond of word play. You might enjoy it actually.

[boreal ingot]

I guess it uses archaical expressions as is evidenced by this usage of 'foul' 👀

[timber bluff]

u should read the books
hv u watched the movies?

[boreal ingot]

I don't watch movies

but certainly I am curious about the books

[boreal ingot]

I shall read it 👀

one day

[signal shell]

I can only guess though, since I haven't read the books myself

[boreal ingot]

rn I'm still getting through White Nights lol

[timber bluff]

read the books, then tell us here, make events, reading events maybe

@boreal ingot

[boreal ingot]

No thanks I don't wanna read them wiith others

I sometimes read in VCs but thas jus when friends are around

[timber bluff]

okayyy

[signal shell]

LOTR is really the most influential series on the fantasy genre as a whole

It basically defined what fantasy is

And it was written by one of the most intelligent authors of his day

He was a professor of English language and literature

[boreal ingot]

ooo

Well that sounds amazing 👀

[timber bluff]

you have favourite characters in there sir?

[signal shell]

I haven't even read it lol

I did watch the films though

I don't know if I have a favourite

[timber bluff]

Frodo? Sam?

Legolas?

[signal shell]

I do like Sam. And Gimli.

And Gandalf

[timber bluff]

which one is gimli? i forgot

[signal shell]

The dwarf

[timber bluff]

owww the king?

[signal shell]

"that still only counts as one"

[timber bluff]

lol

ahh i still love Legolas
they found the best actor for it xd

[timber bluff]

i forgot, who won the count?

[signal shell]

I forgot also

[boreal ingot]

In the human female, the urethra is about 4 cm long,[9][11] having 6 mm diameter,[11] and exits the body between the clitoris and the vaginal opening, extending from the internal to the external urethral orifice.
Why do they say 'orifice' and not 'orifices'?

[supple holly]

Isn't there only one orifice. That's what I get from the text. But I'm no biology expert

Oh I see what you mean now

Nevermind

[boreal ingot]

well, no, the internal urethral orifice is the one from the bladder into the urethra, the external urethral orifice is the onne from the urethra and into the outside world

[boreal ingot]

oh oki

do you know why they would have said 'orifice' not 'orifices'?

[supple holly]

Maybe a case of ellipsis. If they say it as "...to the external urethral orifices," I'd understand it as there are multiple external ones (even if it makes more sense grammatically here)

I dunno. Lol. Just my humble opinion

[boreal ingot]

hmm wait, I think it's about using 'from' and 'to' instead of 'between'. How do you feel about these:

1. In the human female, the urethra is about 4 cm long, having 6 mm diameter, and exits the body between the clitoris and the vaginal opening, extending between the internal and the external urethral orifice.
2. In the human female, the urethra is about 4 cm long, having 6 mm diameter, and exits the body between the clitoris and the vaginal opening, extending between the internal and the external urethral orifices.

I think with between the plural is needed but with 'from' and 'to' the plural is wrong? I think so cuz, as you said, with 'from' and 'to' they're just ellipsing the first 'orifice' while with between they wouldn't be

[signal shell]

When using "between" it definitely sounds better to make it plural

[boreal ingot]

hmm, do you think its wrong to use the plural with 'to' and 'from'?

Actually, maybe using the plural would imply there are more than one internals and more than one external orifices

likewise the singular would imply there is one on either side

extending from the internal to the external urethral orifices.

[signal shell]

I'm not really sure. I'm still thinking about it. But I can imagine that singular or plural could easily follow in natural speech

[boreal ingot]

alrighty, thank you!

[boreal ingot]

One thing

In the human female, the urethra is about 4 cm long,[9][11] having 6 mm diameter,[11] and exits the body between the clitoris and the vaginal opening, extending from the internal to the external urethral orifice.
why do they day 'diameter' here without an 'a'? I feel like a maths person, like you, would know

Like, I'd say 'having a 6 mm diameter'

[signal shell]

Yeah, this does sound more grammatically correct

[signal shell]

Probably just for brevity, idk

[flat rune]

I need an evidence from an highly recommended book about the usage of "triple or more than 1 AND in a sentence is allowed"

They obtained the apple mostly from their schools's friend and family and stranger in the neighborhood.

[hoary lichen]

from the singular internal orifice to the singular external orifice

[boreal ingot]

thanks

[boreal ingot]

Could you rephrase your question

I cannot understand it

[flat rune]

Sure thing. I need proof that a sentence can contain more than one AND.

[boreal ingot]

There is a name for using more conjunctions, like 'and', than is needed: polysyndeton

Here is a Wikipedia article on it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polysyndeton

It has some examples from some books

The first example that coems to mind is

[1] In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. [2] And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. [3] And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

[flat rune]

I think I need to paraphrase it

I mean, i just wanna know basic proof, wether English allowed to write

I like apple and banana and cherry.

Because in my lang, we are only allows us to write

"I like apple, banana, and cherry."

[boreal ingot]

Yes, English allows that. The article I sent proves it, cuz what you're doing there is polysyndeton

There wouldn''t be a wiki article about it if it didn't exist

So you can say it, but it has a certain tone to it

In English, when you sue polysyndeton you're wither trying to emphasise the number, or you're trying to sound grand and slow

You can also be trying to show how tiresome and slow something is