📚｜english-questions

[dense oasis]

as above, and also "I've seen"

some Americans write and say this "I've saw" or "I've ate" but it's totally incorrect

you want to use 3rd forms of verbs after "person + have/had + ..."

I have seen. But not I have saw

[acoustic geyser]

What do you call this? I know this is a rifle but don't know the rope

[latent reef]

Gun Sling

[unreal field]

Anyone know the difference between college and university?

[celest condor]

It can be different for each country. In the US college is usually undergraduate and university is both undergraduate and graduate. You can use either term for each, but university tends to be more formal. Undergrad is 2-4 years and graduate is 4-7 years. I know less about the UK. I believe college there is ages 16 and up and it's for either pre-university study or education in the field they choose to work. University is the same, graduate level studies.

[unreal field]

appreciate it man

[empty cipher]

wow, good answer.

[dense oasis]

I ensure you'll stumble upon many differences here if you talk to anyone from a different country, because for example for me "college" does not even have any kind of meaning, it doesn't exist in my country

Maybe you'll be able to use these words when talking to people from anglosphere countries, but if you talk to someone from outside of it, it does feel funny really quick cuz in some countries highschool means 15 years old all the way to 19-20 years old

and college, university, have even different systems lol

the terms "undergraduate" and "graduate" are also very difficult to use if your speaker is from a different country than yours, cuz these systems are so different sometimes that it just doesn't make sense

for Americans this surely makes sense but for example for me there is nothing like "undergraduate", this word just does not have any sort of meaning in my area lol. It's funny in practice

at this point I just explain what I mean directly instead of using these broad terms, whenever I talk to someone who's not from the same country as mine

[boreal ingot]

Some Australians would use 'foul' as in 'you were done dirty' or 'that was such bad and unfair behaviour towards you'. Or sort of like 'that's so unfair'

That may be it

My boyfriend just cheated on me :(
Omg that's foul!

I'm being bullied :(
Foul! >:(

She didn't even help after
That's foul smh

[vestal badge]

Ой шлюха вокъяс, клятваӧн шуа, клятваӧн шуа, мамыдлӧн дінмуыд тэнад дінмуыд. Ті ставныд менам да тіян костын крючок вылын, ой шлюха вокъяс, ме тіянӧс унизитча, ой шлюха пиян, ме тіянӧс бара ругайта, медым коді тӧдас, ме верма шуны сылы медводз мамтӧ трахать, ой шлюха вок
오 창녀의 형제들이여, 맹세하노라, 맹세하노라, 너희 어머니의 종교가 너희의 종교다. 너희는 다 나와 너희 사이에 걸려 있다, 창녀의 형제들아, 내가 너희를 굴욕시킬 것이다, 창녀의 아들들아, 내가 너희를 다시 저주할 것이다. 그러면 누가 알든지, 내가 너희 어머니를 먼저 엿먹으라고 말할 수 있을 것이다, 창녀의 형제들아
"द सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय १ आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय २ आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय ३ आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय ४ आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय ५ आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय ६ आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय ८ आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय ९ आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय ९ आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय ९ आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय १० आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय ११ आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय १२ आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय १३ आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय १४ आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय १५ आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय १६ आणि सेव्हन डेडली सिन्स: अध्याय १७ आणि सेव्हन डेडली पापे: प्रकरण १९ आणि सात प्राणघातक पापे: प्रकरण २३ आणि सात प्राणघातक पापे: प्रकरण २४ आणि सात प्राणघातक पापे: प्रकरण २५ आणि सात प्राणघातक पापे: प्रकरण २६ आणि सात प्राणघातक पापे: प्रकरण २७ आणि सात प्राणघातक पापे: प्रकरण २८ आणि सात प्राणघातक पापे: प्रकरण २९ आणि सात प्राणघातक पापे: प्रकरण ३० आणि सात प्राणघातक पापे: प्रकरण २० आणि सात प्राणघातक पापे: प्रकरण २९ आणि सात प्राणघातक पापे: प्रकरण २३ आणि सात प्राणघातक पापे: प्रकरण २९ ...९ आणि सात प्राणघातक पापे: प्रकरण २९ आणि सात प्राणघातक पापे: प्रकरण २९ आणि सात प्राणघातक पापे मी खेळतो, मी खेळतो, मी त्यात चांगला नाही, मी खेळतो ...

[hexed plume]

I am learning from this resource "English pages" and its written that there are three type of verbs: Normal verbs, Non-continuous verbs and Mixed verbs.

But I had been reading about past perfect continuous tense and in that they mentioned, you can't use mixed words and non continuous verbs in that instead use normal verbs.

But my main question is: if they telling us to not use mixed words then why the mixed verbs exist like in that there are two verbs: normal verbs and non continuous verbs. They should be divided it overall into two type of verbs like normal verbs and non continuous verbs like no mixed verbs?

https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/types.html

Check the resource below. Read that so you can understand what I am trying to say.

https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/pastperfectcontinuous.html

[vague gust]

thank u

[flat rune]

advocate

[weary loom]

No such command found

[bleak olive]

we arent allowed to say [U.S. citizens] dont speak good english here, apparently. i ve been more than just a little lambasted for that...

[celest condor]

I agree. I do think it's important to see the difference between for example the study a doctor does and the study a nurse does. A doctor needs a lot more education to do the job safely

[bleak olive]

i know my opinion is not worth much here
BUT

doctors heavily rely on nurses and other staff. doctors only do about 15% of the actual work, namely diagnosis and treatment planning.
the day to day operation and management and the administering of treatments is the nurses' job.

aint it bootiful when the nurze gonna inect ya wid da wong pwoduct...

sorry, apparently the tongue isnt allowed to curl back and touch the palate for the R sound...

[celest condor]

I wouldn't let a nurse remove my appendix

[bleak olive]

sounds like you uderstood what i wrote just right....
proving my point

[celest condor]

?def insight

[hazy herald]

Word: insight

Definition 1 (noun): the clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation
Definition 2 (noun): a feeling of understanding
Definition 3 (noun): clear or deep perception of a situation

Other definitions can be found here

Definition requested by sylensw

[celest condor]

?def arrogant

[hazy herald]

Word: arrogant

Definition (adjective): having or showing feelings of unwarranted importance out of overbearing pride

Definition requested by sylensw

[celest condor]

Thank you robot

[bleak olive]

most nurses CAN remove an appendix.
general knowledge

and nurses report doctors for malpractice a lot more often than doctors report nurses...

[bleak olive]

right, apparently someone doesnt know what "CAN" means

CAN = technical, physical or intellectual ability to do something.
nurses CAN remove an appendix,

@sylens, need we ask the bot to define ignorance as well?

[celest condor]

I think there are some undertones worth considering

[bleak olive]

look, you need to stop that quest of yours.
i came here because i am a bored native speaker with 18 years of teaching experience

i have learnt six languages on top of english so i also have enough experience to understand wht students need and do or dont understand

any native speaker will tell you a nurse CAN remove an appendix, and no native speakers would include licensing in the meaning of "can"
someone would say "nurses can remove an appendix but they are not licensed to, but as per their oath, they would be compelled to do it in case of need"

[celest condor]

... I'm ok thank you

Idek what all this heat is for they just asked the difference between uni and college

There's also the fun fact... That I never... Used... The word... Can...

[bleak olive]

there is indeed the fun fact that YOU DID NOT UNDERSTAND the meaning of "CAN:

[boreal ingot]

[bleak olive]

fun fact: ignorance does not take you very far in life.

[bleak olive]

that is demeaning to nurses and grossly shortsighted, on top of being insulting.

@boreal ingot seems to think it is totally fine though, nothing wrong with demeaning hardworking nurses
try that in the UK and see what people will do to you

[boreal ingot]

Lol, saying doctors have to study more than nurses is not demeaning

Both are needed; one has to study more

[bleak olive]

lol, close one but no cigars.
your poorly educated bestie DID not just talk of "study", "it" wrote "A doctor needs a lot more education to do the job safely"
and that, my dear, is very offensive
you clearly do need native speakers here so as to avoid certain basic mistakes
the use of the word "education" here would be very offensive to a nurse.

please retreat, before digging yourselves further in.

[celest condor]

How are your studies?

[boreal ingot]

Not too bad :3 Thank you for asking

[bleak olive]

the learning of a language calls for some understading of cultural sensitivity. which the two of you dont have.
if you try saying "A doctor needs a lot more education than a nurse to do the job safely" in the UK, you will get ery angry rections

[bleak olive]

"A doctor needs a lot more education to do the job safely"is what you actually wrote, not "study", "education" and that, little friend, is very offensive in the UK

[celest condor]

I wished I knew English so I couldnt understand any of this. I'm from US we don't speak here it's all gestured and cuss words

[bleak olive]

yes, i did spend a few shocking months in the U.S., i was not particularly impressed when a bunch of teenagers asked me what the offical language was in the UK...
dont try to say it was sarcasm.

[celest condor]

Ok

[bleak olive]

"if i would know ,i would not do it"
is that standard american?

how would you correct it?

[celest condor]

U sure that's American it has no cuss words or eagles involved

[bleak olive]

dont dodge

[celest condor]

Would is not proper American it's did and didn't

If I did know I would not did it

Wouldn't*

[bleak olive]

is that present or past?

[celest condor]

U didn't specify

[bleak olive]

go on, past then

[celest condor]

You can't past then it's already passed

[bleak olive]

lol

alright, i see

well, here it is.
"if i had known, i wouldnt have done it"

a past conditinal DOES exist

look, i dont mean to demean anyone. i said it before, i came here to help

[celest condor]

Who asked...

[bleak olive]

oh....

you arent serious? are you?

you mean to say that you are sure the few of you here ae enough to teach english to everyone (when you dont actually know the past conditional?!? trust me, i wish i didnt have to point that out again)

[celest condor]

I just wish there wasn't arguing. Everything you say is a condescending challenge. It's just mean

[bleak olive]

so do i , but i never start an "argument", i point out mistakes (from the perspective of a brit because britain does attract a lot of people from other countries who come to study and work)
and then people slam me.
please, do believe me, people in the UK arent the nicest in the world and people will physically assault you for silly things.
so having some understanding of the ulture behind the language is important so as not to offend people too much.
our understanding of grammar and vocabulary is not the same as yours, you need to give learners here a wider array of perspective.

i admit to looking down on the U.S. because unlike brits who go there as tourists, i worked there for a few months and i was shocked.

and then the actions of the US government in a number of areas didnt help that negative perception which is commonplace today in the UK and europe

[celest condor]

I... Dont believe that. You use so many typical rage bait behaviors I just assumed you're a troll who wants to cause chaos out of boredom

[bleak olive]

anything that disagrees with your view of the wolrd is not rage-baiting,

[celest condor]

Why bluntly disagree with everything including things that weren't even said? Even when I wasn't talking to you you stepped in to disagree with me on weird irrelevant stuff

[bleak olive]

i am myself shocked by some of the things i read here

[celest condor]

Well clearly I can't get through to you. Have fun

[bleak olive]

oh, here you have a problem.
in england, we have a tendency to read a lot between the lines.
and most here are rather young and the subtleties of the language are not necessarily something you care about yet, not understand fully.

[bleak olive]

between an uneducated 15 year old who doesnt know the past conditional and a 52 year oxford graduate, i am sure there can be differences in ability to express oneself clearly.

oh, the other troll is typing....

you besties play rely, it's cute

[boreal ingot]

not everything that disagrees with your view of the wolrd is rage-baiting*
'oxford graduate' fails to express himself properly (once again)

[celest condor]

Oof. I wish English was one of those languages where if the meaning comes across it can be used for communication

[boreal ingot]

For one who cares so much about the details of language, you certainly don't employ language with attention to those details

[bleak olive]

you are clearly a lowly edicated troll

[celest condor]

I like poetry. It let's me break rules

[bleak olive]

"everything .... is" yes

entertain us and try "are"

[boreal ingot]

[bleak olive]

there is a lot more to it. you will find out when you get in the real world

[boreal ingot]

You, fellow, are as queer as they come, a troll of the lowest caliber

[bleak olive]

oh, yes, you poor thing "employ language"
lovely

[bleak olive]

you little girl are not very bright and do not yet understand what people will think in certain parts of the world when they hear you talk.
there is a lot of prejudice around and people during a job interview, for example, will get clues as to where you stand, from your use and understandung of language.
simple example: "what is the bicycle of miners?"

amuse me and tell me what it means.
now imagine being an IT engineer from india not being able to answer this question.....

just because you dont understand the deeper meaning of "the" and that of "bicycle" in our culture...

[twilit lotus]

Yet another conversation that appears to a demiurgic Hecatoncheires in a mirageous void.

Whatcha fighting about?

[serene plinth]

Take all fights out of this channel please

[twilit lotus]

That too

[bleak olive]

WOW easy, i told you before they would carry on

[bleak olive]

i did tell you, please read everything before jumping to conclusions

[serene plinth]

I am sorry but this is NOT the channel for fights

Only answering questions and explanations/discussions related to that is allowed here

[dusk verge]

Again

[bleak olive]

i agree and did tell you so earlier, i asked you to have a chat with them and you ignored me

[dusk verge]

Ffs

Aren’t you in your 40s

Bro go elsewhere

Rise above or something

[bleak olive]

again, please, they started it and you said it was fine

[bleak olive]

indeed , i am and i feel an obligation to educste people in order to give them better chances in the world AND in order to make the world a better place

[dusk verge]

Yeah maybe not here

And not now

Since you try and then they reject it

And then you open a ticket and cry foul

[bleak olive]

this is the very place where it is needed

[dusk verge]

So clearly something is not working

And it just so happens youre the common denominator

So I’m just sitting here like what are we doing

[bleak olive]

you can t just let the blind lead th blind

[boreal ingot]

It started here: #📚｜english-questions message

He went into a conversation that had nothing to do with the topic at hand or him ^ (that then devolved)

[dusk verge]

You wanna chew Minecraft from China a new one go for it

But maybe just avoid this room altogether

[bleak olive]

dont baby girl,

[dusk verge]

Let’s not use diminutives towards actual minors

Now youre just coming off really creepy

[boreal ingot]

Do not call me 'baby girl'. Feel free to call me 'girl', but I'm not comfortable with an old man on the internet calling me 'baby girl'

[bleak olive]

hey, take it easy.
you probably have nothing to do here if you dont care abot education yourself

[bleak olive]

trust me , she s used plenty of jibes of her own
dont turn the tables around

[twilit lotus]

Sirach 21:12-14 comes to mind. Even if you're not religious...

[rancid kettle]

Sirach 21:12-14 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

<12> He who is not clever cannot be taught, but there is a cleverness which increases bitterness. <13> The knowledge of a wise man will increase like a flood, and his counsel like a flowing spring. <14> The mind of a fool is like a broken jar; it will hold no knowledge.

BibleBot v11.2.0 by Kerygma Digital

[dusk verge]

Yeah but again one of you is 40 years of age and the other is an actual minor.

[bleak olive]

you ve called me a lot of things so i dont think yu are ery well placed to make such request

[bleak olive]

yes, and the young ones need to learn

[bleak olive]

i am a lot older than that too

[dusk verge]

I don’t think this particular one wants anything to do with you. So with your years of wisdom maybe get the hint.

[boreal ingot]

'baby girl' more often than not has a very very creepy sexual connotation. I've not called you anything with such a connotation. Please refrain from that epithet

[bleak olive]

thats an easy and disgusting jibe

[twilit lotus]

I don't understand why you are doing what they do back to them?

[bleak olive]

that would surely be something some of your people would think

[twilit lotus]

your ??

[bleak olive]

because they need to learn that this is not acceptable behaviour

[boreal ingot]

I'm not sure who you mean by 'my' people

[bleak olive]

sorry?

[twilit lotus]

How is being a brat, to another brat, gonna teach anything?

[bleak olive]

see, that's where reading between th lines comes handy

[serene plinth]

This channel is only for English questions and answers and any discussion related to that. What's done is done, now I would request all of you to kindly move on.

I would urge all of you to not discuss anything that doesn't concern the purpose of this channel.
No user should make any personal attacks at another.
Any discussion about the issue in hand is to be taken to #🧠｜serious-chat .

[bleak olive]

i a much milder than them, please do not amalgamate

[dusk verge]

At this point Miss Scella has determined she doesn’t wish to speak to you @bleak olive , as long as she doesn’t mention you and avoids conversation with you I suggest you do the same. Failure to do so could be interpreted as server harassment.

[bleak olive]

pointing out the meaning of things from a british perspective is important

[bleak olive]

this is a bit rude considering i did request a similar measure earlier and it was denied me.

i see again one rule for the mates and another for the outsiders

[dusk verge]

Well now it’s being granted and it goes both ways.

I don’t know either of your two

And I don’t feel like changing that fact

Good day

[bleak olive]

lol, funnies

please dont start it again

[serene plinth]

Not really, because I had asked Scella not to engage in a discussion with you yesterday

[bleak olive]

well, she did

then she should be reprimanded

funny how she can breach rules and get away with it.

[boreal ingot]

Do I ask an English question or something? I have one around

This has dragged on, so I think an English question would get this channel back on topic:

I looked into his eyes abounding in confidence, as ever they have, and as he brought once more our lips together, he whispered to me 'You shall never find yourself without me'.
Any grammatical or punctuative mistakes here? I'm mainly unsure about whether a comma should be placed before 'abounding'

[bleak olive]

sure, i d be glad

coma would be better

because else the verb is attache dto the last noun

but this is poetry and the contaxt is clear

rules are accepted as not applying to poetry

[boreal ingot]

Do you interpret this as the speaker abounding in confidence or the eyes?

[bleak olive]

yes, of course

[boreal ingot]

Excuse me? 😅 I asked which one is abounding in confidence

[bleak olive]

the speaker

she

or I

[boreal ingot]

Oh, I see

[bleak olive]

she is confident of his love

but behind theere is "as ever they have"

which suggest it s the eyes

so him ,

who is confident

[boreal ingot]

Oh, that makes sense

[bleak olive]

but it is more romentic to think she is confident of his love

[boreal ingot]

So how could the punctuation be edited here? Perhaps there shouldn't be a comma after 'abounding in confidence'

[acoustic geyser]

Why is it not can?

[boreal ingot]

I looked into his eyes***,*** abounding in confidence as ever they have***,*** and as he brought once more ...

I looked into his eyes***,*** abounding in confidence, as ever they have, and as he brought once more ...

I looked into his eyes abounding in confidence as ever they have, and as he brought once more ...

The first reads best to me, but the last also feels okay

I'm not sure

[bleak olive]

they all mean different things so they are all right

but the most romantic one is to think she has the confidence of his love

i mean , i find it a lot more romantic this wasy.

[boreal ingot]

Right, of course, but I feel that isn't the original intention of the sentence. How would it be formatted to say that his eyes 1. are full of confidence and 2. always have been so

[bleak olive]

your third one then

coma after "have"

the second one is good two actually,

and better rhythm

[boreal ingot]

Many thanks, then. I'd like to ask if there is any difference between the third and the first. Is it just a matter of how important 'abounding in confidence as ever they have' is to the sentence? In the first it feels like a parenthetical thought while in the third it's a main component?

[bleak olive]

i agree, the first one doesnt make it seem important.

but the original one isnt as parenthtical as you put it.

is it not meant to be romantic though, confidence in the stregth of his love seems so much more romantic

[bleak olive]

"Could" is a lower probability
"can" is merely technical, physical or intellectual ability

[boreal ingot]

Alrighty, got it. Many thanks

[bleak olive]

here "can" as probability 50/50 doesnt seem to fit

[bleak olive]

bear in mind that ruthm is important too , so the extra comas make it sounds better

[bleak olive]

you subjectis expressing an idea that occured to him, so it is the possibilty of an option (the probability of a successful solution) he is expressing, not the means (technical, physical, etcc....

[river harbor]

hello could someone help me with my english descriptive essay, im 14 would like some help on it 🙂

[bleak olive]

this isnt allowed, although i think it should be because it is part of the learning process

[river harbor]

sorry why tho?

[bleak olive]

i didnt make the rules

and they ll likely use anything to try and ban me now

[river harbor]

hmm, would any of u mind reading it ?

like dms

[bleak olive]

so ill let others help you

[river harbor]

dms?

[bleak olive]

@boreal ingot they wont mind you helping for homework
can you please help unknown

[boreal ingot]

Proofreading is within the rules as far as I know, there is a whole channel for it (#📝｜proofreading)

I'm not that good at writing essays so I wouldn't be able to help much in that regard, sadly

So long as you're not writing the whole essay for them, you're not breaking any rules I know of

[bleak olive]

people keep calling me "bro", what does it really mean? (i am not asking for the bro=brother nwer, i do know that)

[boreal ingot]

It's used as a friendly way of addressing friends or people in general, even when they are't really your brother

I can't think of any meanings besides that and the 'brother' one you've lready mentioned

I personally don't like using it like so much; it feels too familiar to throw around casually like is done now. However, it's increasingly common to use it like so

Also, as most forms of address, it can be used in shock without the friendly connotation:

Dude, you're the best!
Bro, what are you up to?

Dude, why the hell would you say that?
Bro, are you stupid?

A lot of learners view it as a very American thing to say, so they end up overusing it, sounding unnatural

I think it's comprable to 'mate' or, more casually and stereotypically, to 'bruv' as Brits use them

[bleak olive]

sorry, was in dm.

[bleak olive]

and people use it even when they dont know people? without any warning sort of thing?

"mate" and "bruv" , in a face to face context at least, are only used in very informal contexts and when people can identify one anther as belonging to the same "social group".
I AM JUST STATING, not criticizing. we are a prejudiced bunch, i dont deny.

an educated person from a lower class would otherwise say "guv" to someone they identify as belonging to a higher social group but this is likely falling out of use.

JUST STATING! dont slam me!

[boreal ingot]

Yeah, unfortunately. However, it is considered informal, so you won't see anyone using it at a meeting or anything of the sort (unless they're a non-native who doesn't understand)

[bleak olive]

please!

[bleak olive]

so you mean its an online thing?

i never mix with young people and we dont watch TV so i genuinely dont know
discord is my first contact with the outside world in 15 years

no, i am not in prison (am not and was not, regardless of how creepy i appear)

[boreal ingot]

I believe it's mainly an online thing, but I wouldn't be surprised if teens threw it around in real life, since online slang does sometimes affect real speech. You'd have to find a native from America who's my age to confirm that, though. I can comment on how it's used online, but not so much otherwise

[bleak olive]

alright, thats interesting.

thanks

[boreal ingot]

Np

[lusty spear]

The transcriptions of words is important? Should I learn correct pronunciation

when I memorize words

and an additional question uk or us version if my goal is to pass the IELTS exam

[celest condor]

I absolutely would. For one it helps others understand you, also I believe IELTS has a speaking portion. It won't matter UK vs US, but I would pick one and try not to mix and match.

[dense oasis]

words in english often have unpredictable pronunciations, so yes, whenever you find a new one, you should learn how to say it

don't rely on the way words are spelled, english is not always said the way it is written

[boreal ingot]

[flat rune]

What’s the differences between I’d, I’ve and I’ll?

[latent reef]

i mean they mean different things, i would, i have, and i will

[bleak olive]

"i'd" can also mean "i had"

[static sorrel]

I could, I should and I had as well

Maybe just I had....yeah

[bleak olive]

i guess, they all theoretically qualify. but we dont use it for could/should, i think...

[bleak olive]

never heard it myself

[livid lichen]

Hi guys

I'm a new here , i wanna improve my English skill and wanna talk with someone

And we can be friends if someone want

[static sorrel]

That's true

[royal marsh]

Hello everyone 👋

[lyric parcel]

would you get confused if third person singular verb ending like -s is missing?

[calm pecan]

Michael stared at me speechlessly.
Michael stared at me speechless.
which one would be better?

[dense oasis]

this depends on the context, but most of the time no, it still would make sense even if you omitted it

she likes him -> she like him, it's not correct but I understand what you mean. Although the problem is that maybe you wanted to say she is like him?

And not "she likes him". So then there is no way of knowing what you meant. It's better to not omit +s

[celest condor]

I would change the first to "Michael speechlessly stared at me" otherwise 'speechlessly' works as an adverb to 'stared' which doesn't make sense.
The second feels better to me, 'speechless' works as an adjective for his state of being.

[bleak olive]

i think "speechless",but neither is grammatically wrong

[bleak olive]

because concordance is an agreed upon principle (it's a sort of "double authentication"), a native speaker who has never travelled and seldom meets foreigners wouldmost likely be confused.
but people who spend a fair amount of time among learners tend to build up tolerance in the matter and would simply ask for confirmation. (which may not be the case with a "polite" native speaker)

if the sentence contains more than one subject, we are more likley to get confused since the verb could then be thought to be connected to another subject/noun.

[lyric parcel]

like "she likes them" ?

[lyric parcel]

yea that's me. I understand all of it.

[bleak olive]

no, there s no space for misunderstanding in a short sentence like that one.

[neon cosmos]

My English is so bad someone help me for increas it

[lyric parcel]

hmm do you have example?

[boreal ingot]

It's hard to think of anything where missing '-s' is hard to understand to be honest. It doesn't seem like a big issue for comprehension, but sounds very non-native

I believe the ease with which one can deduce the intended subject is due to the analytic nature of English

[jolly atlas]

hello everyone Im new here is this a good server for practicing English in terms of IELTS specifically speaking?

[celest condor]

I would recommend the channel teacher-student-chat under English classes

[boreal ingot]

My grand-pops was a man of respect, had to sweat
Just to cash checks working from sunrise to set
Every day he'd get challenged, no trades or talents
Barely scraped by, he found faith to balance
The straight line and pace, feeling worn and gray
Poor with four seeds, one more on the way
It was hard days indeed, all work and no play
He made sure things on the surface were okay, but
Something disturbin' within his mind was lurkin'
A slight twilight breeze would ease in through the curtains at night
It's like the sermon of a twisted apparition
Was urging him to listen to the train in the distance
At first it wasn't intense, just one little instance
Sure it didn't occur, he turned to resist it
As if it wasn't much more than just a figment
Of his imagination, but for days it was persistent
And it went:
"Follow me, follow me. Follow me, follow me"
And it got louder:
"Follow me, follow me. I have something to show you"

1. What does 'The straight line and pace' mean here? He balances on the straight line using faith? 'Pace' is refering to the difficulty of his life? He managed 'the pace' at which his life was going by having faith? Is this related to the idiom 'walk the straight and narrow'? I thought the 'balancing' was in relation to the difficulty of his life being balanced out by his faith? But if that's the case, what is 'The straight line and pace' about?
2. What does 'sure it didn't occur' mean here? What is 'it' that has not occured?

[deep valley]

Hi

I was reading a paragraph and I wanted to translate the text and i noticed something. When i deleted the character ’ the meaning of the sentence also changed. Can you guys enlighten me pls?

overlooking millennials’ renewed engagement with curated content.

[boreal ingot]

do you have what comes before it?

[deep valley]

Yeah, i got the whole text.

B: Certainly. At [Company X], I noticed our competitors were hyper-focused on Gen Z, overlooking millennials’ renewed engagement with curated content. I spearheaded a micro-influencer campaign targeting this demographic, which yielded a 22% increase in conversion rates quarter-over-quarter. The key was reframing our value proposition to resonate with their preference for authenticity over polished ads.

[boreal ingot]

With plural words ending in 's', we only add an apostrophe to mark the possessive:

a millennial is
a millennial's dog is
millennials are
millennials' dogs are

In this case, with the apostrophe, they're saying that the 'renewed engagement' of millennials is being overlooked
Without the apostrophe, 'renewed' isn't an adjective anymore, it's a verb. The subject becomes 'overlooking millennials'.

[overlooking millennials] (has) renewed engagement
^ 'renew' here sort of means 'bring back to a strong state'. So the fact millennials were overlooked has brought back engagement to a stronger state

on the other hand, when you say 'millennials' renewed engagement', that means the engagement 1. belongs to millennials, and 2. has been renewed (is strong again) . What is happening to this renewed engagement belonging to millennials? It's being overlooked

(they are) overlooking [millennials' renewed engagement]
[millennials' renewed engagement] = [the renewed engagement of millennials]

[deep valley]

Thanks

[boreal ingot]

No problem!

---

Is he using 'bloody' as an intensifier: 'he's BLOODY HOVERING'
or is he using it to describe his grand-dad: 'my grand-dad, while bloody, was hovering'

[celest condor]

The line is the direction he's moving, the pace is how fast. Too fast and you burn out, too slow and people who rely on you suffer. Faith helps keep pushing forward.
I think "sure it didn't occur" means he knows the wind wasn't speaking, but it felt like it

[boreal ingot]

Many thanks!

[boreal ingot]

Could you take a look at my second question?

It's alright if you don't feel like it I appreciate the help with the first

[celest condor]

Yeah I think you're right, it doesn't really have a meaning it's more to amplify the next phrase

It's like f'ing

[boreal ingot]

I wouldn't doubt it if he sounded British, but I wasn't aware Americans also used 'bloody' so

The very stereotypical 'bloody hell' is a testament to Brits' using 'bloody' in such a manner, but do Americans do it at all?

Or is this simply queer word-choice (queer for an American, that is) for the sake of the rhythm of the song?

[celest condor]

I think so. I hear a tiny bit of an accent I wonder if his family is british

Us we use bloody for literally covered in blood or beaten, it could work well for double meaning

[boreal ingot]

Oh, I'm a meh at telling accents apart, but I can generally tell if it sounds American or British. I didn't know they didn't sound entirely American 😅 For some reason I can't find the name of who sang it beyond the band name, sooo, idk :p Here is the full song in case a longer clip could help you determine American or British (or maybe smth else ?!): https://youtu.be/O5-cGKfbGQ8

[boreal ingot]

Understood

Thank youuu

[celest condor]

Their Instagram says they come from Manchester but their location for the band is ohio

[boreal ingot]

In these the two counteracting influences that literature exerts over language began to show themselves at once. One of them is the tendency to produce uniformity, the other the tendency to arrest all change; no matter in either case whether the result is to be desired or to be deplored. From the conflict of these opposing agencies the grammatical forms of the language came out at the end of the Middle English period what we now find them.
Does this mean that language likes to halt change? Is 'arrest' just a metaphor here? This is from the 1870s, maybe it's a different meaning?

[boreal ingot]

😭

We shall never know then

[celest condor]

Arrest can mean to stop, like cardiac arrest

[boreal ingot]

Oh, stop? Never had I heard of this meaning! Might you kindly give an example sentence, if that's okay

[celest condor]

Yes stop or be restricted.
"the work on my project was arrested by a death in the family"
"Emergency crews worked to arrest the spread of the wildfire before it reached the residential area."

[boreal ingot]

My many thanks to you

[vague gust]

what "ode" mean the context was from song "Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat" :)))

[boreal ingot]

At the beginning of the Middle English period the adjective had been nearly stripped of the numerous inflections it had possessed in the Anglo-Saxon. During the two centuries that followed, it lost the little it had retained. The use of the final e, to denote the plural and the definite declension in the singular, was abandoned altogether; and the adjective was left, as we now have it, without any inflection whatever. In its comparison the vowel-modification, which in some cases it underwent in Chaucer and his contemporaries, disappeared before the middle of the sixteenth century. Long and strong and old, at the beginning of the Middle English period, had for comparatives lenger, strenger, and elder; at the end of it, they had the regular forms, longer, stronger, and older, now in use; though the last-named word, old, still retained, as at present, both forms.

I'm reallyyy unsure if this is a funny old way to say 'In comparison, the vowel-mod... blah blah blah' (kinda like 'in its turn') or if they're talking about the degrees of comparison of adjectives, and using 'comparison' to mean 'one of an adjective's inflections for degree of comparison'. Aka, 'longer' is 'a comparison' and 'longest' is another comparison. Or if they mean 'comparison' as a way to say 'the comparative form of an adjective', so 'longer' is a comparison, but 'longest' isn't

I'm inclined to it being one of the latter two, but, even then, I'm not sure which one

[celest condor]

An ode is usually written to admire or praise something. A conversation that's hard to have is tense but beautiful

[vague gust]

how to use that word i mean the example of it, oh ya that word usually used on English Literature dont ya or something like that

[dense oasis]

I'm not sure if this is typically a European thing, not sure if this exists in other regions of the world, but Ode is a very specific kind of poetic text that praises some ideas, as Sylens said

it exists in other languages too, "Oda" in my native (polish), so it definitely is a broader european concept

[vague gust]

hmm i see so an Ode usually used on like poem or something like (books) that not use for talk

[dense oasis]

There is a thing called Ode to Joy

it's the anthem of the European union

and this word is not used outside of these specific poem names

I mean, it's a specific term, it's not like a common word like "a song" or "a poem"

[celest condor]

Right, not for talking

[celest condor]

It's similar to hymn or serenade

[celest condor]

I can see what you mean, I would lean towards the latter as well. I don't think it's in comparison, I think it's the function of comparison within vowel-modification if that makes sense.
I read it as "in the way this adjective forms its comparative and superlative degrees"

[boreal ingot]

Sorry, did you mis-speak here?

I don't think it's in comparison, I think it's the function of comparison within vowel-modification if that makes sense.

Do you mean the function of comparison within vowel-modification or the other way around (that of vowel-modification within comparison)? 😅

[celest condor]

You're right, my brain is trying to read vowel modification as a noun or topic

[boreal ingot]

ah alrighty

welp thank you for confirmingg

[boreal ingot]

also, I happaned upon a rather queer construction! Surely as you look upon these examples you will understand. I don't particularly have any questions about it, but I found it interesting

None of the strong verbs that were left us at the end of the Middle English period, more than three hundred years ago, have since been lost, though, in a few cases, weak preterite forms have arisen since, or, rather, have perpetuated themselves alongside of the strong forms.

I also said, and I still say, that the book we obtained from the ghosts, for the guidance of man, upheld the infamy of infamies, called polygamy; and I will also prove that. And the same book teaches, not political liberty, but political tyranny.

I also said that the author of the book given us by the ghosts knew nothing about astronomy, still less about geology, still less, if possible, about medicine, and still less about legislation.

And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Or, well, maybe I have one question. All examples I can find use a pronoun. I do wonder if a noun is possible

Water was given England by Scotland

[celest condor]

It reminds me of a conversation we had about speaking VS storytelling. These feel like storytelling techniques to encourage reading between the lines and projecting your own experiences onto them

[boreal ingot]

sorry, is this in reference to the construction I've found or the 'comparison' matter?

[celest condor]

These passages. All of them are written with that same mode of writing

[boreal ingot]

These forum-goers do claim the construction is used informally to some extent
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/the-book-was-given-him-british-english.3124122/

However, it seems to have its roots in earlier forms of English, often literary and formal

In case it wasn't apparent (perhaps it is only queer to me), my concern was that there is a distinct lack of 'to' in those sentences, where I would expect one

Excuse my typos and misspellings

[celest condor]

It used to be way more common, modern English uses the 'to' pretty much always. It's helpful to know that can happen because it's used in so many religious texts and older documents

[celest condor]

I see two interpretations, "Scotland gave England to water" or "Scotland gave water to England"

[boreal ingot]

Oh, understood! So it seems not to be unfamiliar to native speakers I was mistaken in thinking it a rare oddity, then

[boreal ingot]

Oh, so the 'to' can, or at least could, be omitted even with nouns, not just pronouns

Water was given us
Would be more in line with the examples I've found whilst looking about the internet
Water was given the town
Would be what I've failed to find, sadly, an example using a noun rather than a pronoun

But if your native intuition (trustworthy native intuition, unlike that of some who shan't be named) isn't against the idea with the sentence concerning England, then it may not be restricted to pronouns as I thought it may be

[celest condor]

I'm saying the example you gave with England and Scotland has two interpretations that conflict, one doesn't make sense. You can rule out one by it's nonsense (you can't give a country to water).
I think you can use a noun, it just doesnt flow well and it's hard to define the nouns role in the sentence.
Any of my others answers are conspiracy related, I'll save those for now

[boreal ingot]

Understood, my many thanks to you once more

[celest condor]

I believe the roles are indirect object VS direct object

[heady tree]

Is there anyone who could help teach me English a bit? 😭 I really want to be good at it but I have zero basics lolllll

[craggy saddle]

I could help

[bleak olive]

how did you manage to write that with "zero basics"?!?!

looks like you are doing alright.

[heady tree]

Thanks for helping me! 😄 I'm using Google to help me translate and type in English right now haha.

[heady tree]

I'm using Google and ChatGPT to help me.

[craggy saddle]

What do you need help with?

[heady tree]

I want help with everything about learning English, because I can't read, speak, or write it at all.

[craggy saddle]

So what language do you speak?

And what do you already know?

[heady tree]

I speak Thai. I only know super basic English like “yes,” “no,” “ok”… that’s it lol.

[craggy saddle]

Alright

I dont know any Thai so this will probably be difficult but I'll still try

[heady tree]

Aww thank you for helping me! But… are you really okay with helping me? 😅 It might be kinda hard

[craggy saddle]

I will try my best :))

[heady tree]

So, how will you teach me?

[craggy saddle]

So, to learn basic words and the alphabet, there are some kids shows you can find on YouTube if it's available in your country

And this website also has a wide variety of basic words for you to study
https://www.lingohut.com/th/l1/เรียนภาษาอังกฤษ

[willow mantle]

Hi, what is the most important in English learning

Vocabulary
Grammar
Sentences or ....

[boreal ingot]

Probably vocabulary at the start, then get into grammar

You need to know some word to make sentences, after all

[willow mantle]

How many vocabulary should I learn for better start

[boreal ingot]

I don't know an exact number really, but maybe start with the most common verbs and nouns

[rain ruin]

Is here any English teacher?

[somber mango]

Hi

[frosty flame]

Hi

[somber mango]

What's the opposite of synonym

[frosty flame]

Antonym

[somber mango]

Oh

I am fluent because my cousin is not believing that it is antonym

[acoustic geyser]

Can I use modal verbs of possibility with future perfect and perfect continuous tense?

[frosty flame]

What were you thinking?

[frosty flame]

Hehe - Google can tell them that too :)

[somber mango]

Oh your right

[boreal ingot]

You can't really use 'may' and 'might' with future tenses, no.

I might will eat
I might will have eaten
I might will have been eating
^ these are all incorrect, outside of some specific Southern American English dialects that allow multiple modals. However, they can be replaced with other phrases like 'there is a chance' and 'maybe'. This is the same as how you can't say 'I will can play the piano' (in most dialects you can't) but still can edit that and say 'I will be able to play the piano'. Replace the modal with another phrase when you need to stack modals:
I maybe will eat/There is a chance I will eat
I maybe will have eaten/There is a chance I will have eaten
I maybe will have been eating/There is a chance I will have been eating

[hazy fiber]

Interesting

[boreal ingot]

Uh

yup

[acoustic geyser]

Can I use maybe instead of that?

[boreal ingot]

I'm not sure what you mean

I did say 'maybe' can replace the modals of possibility 'may' and 'might', yes

It's more natural to replace them with 'there is a chance that'

but 'maybe' works as well, informally

I explained that to combine a modal of possibility with a future tense, you have to rephrase the modal of possibility since the future tense already incorporates a modal ('will') and it's not correct to use more than one modal in a row in standard English

[celest condor]

Maybe works as a replacement because it's not a modal right?

[boreal ingot]

yea, iss an adverb I think

[vivid venture]

Hello. I have a question for you. What's the difference between "Make, Create, Do", And How to use it correctly?
Example: "How to make a YouTube channel?, How to create a YouTube channel?, How to do a YouTube channel?"

[celest condor]

Make and create are very similar. Do is more general. Make is when you put parts together, create is to make something from scratch (with basic materials).
To make a Youtube channel is to make an account and upload videos to it.
To create a Youtube channel could mean finding inspiration, choosing a theme for your videos, building a community.
"How to do a Youtube channel?" sounds a little unnatural here because Youtube is a noun. You could say "How to do Youtube analytics?" so it's about the action you want to learn.

[boreal ingot]

[acoustic geyser]

@barren hull

This guy is promoting a scam here

[acoustic geyser]

Is this interchangable?

[boreal ingot]

Often but not always. In the case of someone or something being transported, it's normally 'by', 'with' sounds odd

I went by bus.
It was sent by mail.

When it's a method of transportation 'by' is most idiomatic. When it's a tool, 'with' is better

'with' is strongly associated with a 'using' sense

I ate with a spoon.
I stabbed him with a knife.

[acoustic geyser]

Thanks

[bleak olive]

they are not interchangeable in the sense that one could justbe used in lieu of the other, you might need to change the structure or grammar of the sentence

[tawdry wing]

Now my level is intermediate (B2) How can I upgrade my level to C2?

I wanna some suggestions and several ways for all categories:
Speaking, Writing, Listening, and Reading.

[solid vortex]

How I can study English to upgrade my level to c2? I don’t know what’s my level, but he is the more basic possible, if someone has a timeline to study, I would like, please.

[plain halo]

What’s the best way to save words without forgetting them And have more vocabulary

[slim sphinx]

What's up everybody. I wanna know my English level but Idk how

[solid vortex]

Make the duolingo test is free to know what you level

[slim sphinx]

Tku

[bleak olive]

the simple answer would READ, READ, READ.

there is something called the 30-point principle
writing 3 points,
reading 2 points
listening 1 points
speaking 2 points
for the brain to retain information, you (preferably) need a mix of writing, reading, speaking and listening with the target item over a period of two to three weeks.
it HAS TO BE in context and it should be relevant to you.
this is a principle that is not easy to actually "put in practice", meaning that the only viable way to achieve it is regular interaction with the language.
in order to avoid the development of erroneous reflexes that will inevitably delay learning, students are advised to prioritize reading and listening.

[bleak olive]

same as above, read, read, read.

[hexed plume]

I am learning from this resource "English pages" and its written that there are three type of verbs: Normal verbs, Non-continuous verbs and Mixed verbs.

But I had been reading about past perfect continuous tense and in that they mentioned, you can't use mixed words and non continuous verbs in that instead use normal verbs.

But my main question is: if they telling us to not use mixed words then why the mixed verbs exist like in that there are two verbs: normal verbs and non continuous verbs. They should be divided it overall into two type of verbs like normal verbs and non continuous verbs like no mixed verbs?

https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/types.html

Check the resource below. Read that so you can understand what I am trying to say.

https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/pastperfectcontinuous.html

[acoustic geyser]

Hello

[acoustic geyser]

Are will and be going to interchangeable when we use it to talk about something will happen that we are highly certain?

like 100%?

[gleaming perch]

Hi !
I curently watch the serie "Suits" on Netflix and at several times they use "death row" as an adjective (at least that is my understanding).
Here is an example of sentence with it : « It's a death row appeal, Harvey. »
I understood what is a death row with online dictionaries but nothing about the adjective. Can it be translated by "dead-end" or "without any exit" ?
Moreover, is it often used in discussions ?

[celest condor]

It's a noun. Death row is when a prisoner is sentenced to death and waiting in prison.
"He was waiting on death row"
"He's a death row inmate"
It's a common debate in any justice system, so it's a good term to know

For your example the person was on death row and is now appealing the legal decision, which would free them. There's usually a specific row of cells for them to stay in, that's why it's called death row

[dense oasis]

kinda like human life, in a way we are all death row inmates sentenced to death

in a way we put houses, buildings, skyscrapers, in rows. And eventually we just die in them or around them. Not a very positive view on life but...

[celest condor]

Sometimes that's what it takes to go explore out there

Be brave. Touch grass

[drowsy sonnet]

Hi everyone, I'm looking for a friend to study English with

[astral burrow]

hey

i am also

[grave solstice]

Me too

[acoustic geyser]

Shouldn't it be using present tense?

[boreal ingot]

What ever is that??

[boreal ingot]

was going to happen = future of the past

I played Minecraft and I was going to eat lunch afterwards, but a fire started and I had to get out.

In the past something happened (I played Minecraft). My plan at that point in the past was to do something in the future (eat dinner).

'Was going to' expresses one's past intent

'going to' is a relative future tense:
I am going to [verb] = future of right now
I was going to [verb] = future of the past

It can even be used in the future, but this is very rare and rather unnatural:
I will be going to [verb] = future of the future

The main issue with the future of future is that it's more readily interpreted as 'on my way to [verb]', unlike the future of past and future of present

[bleak olive]

i assume you are talking about futures since you are comparing "will" and "going to"

will = when native speakers hear/read "will" their understanding is that not all WH have yet been decided/agreed upon and is often interpreted as being used when an idea for a future plan is formulated. so to put it more simply, it is the expression of an idea for something that isnt fully decided yet.
am/is/are + going to = is usually understood as being a more immediate future (although not necessarily) and as containing an amount of certainty as to the who, where, when, how, etc....

i will make a cake = i am now deciding to make a cake at a point in the future, but i havent yet clarified all the when/why/where/how/what for etc...

i am going to make a cake = implies that the speaker as an idea of atleast some of the WHs (who/where/when/what for, etc...)

note: this interpretation goes beyond the common and simplistic "near future" explanation. but it must be understood that native speakers do imply such information through the use of diverse grammar.

[dapper steeple]

Hi, does somebody know a website where we can learn every phrasal verb ? I am trying to improve my vocabulary but each phrasal verb has several meanings so I'm a little bit lost. Those where I looked at are not in accordance...

[fringe jasper]

how do you spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and antidisestablishmentarianism?

also pnuemonoultramicroscopicsilicaniosis

[rapid bison]

did you just...
spell them?

[rapid bison]

this is so relatable 😭

[crimson vortex]

Hello, guys. I'm struggling with writing sentences using present sophisticated monotonous tense.

So, which one is correct:
a) He'm would've eating the sandwich I gave him
b) He'd could has eating the sandwich I gave him

Guys, I will appreciate any help

[celest olive]

Console counsel council

They all sound too similar to be understood by themselves when heard alone, is that a true assumption?

[celest olive]

Bro what is this, old English or something?

Feels like nonsense

[dense oasis]

No, it is not true

Console and council sound very different even if they are alone

But usually you will hear them in a sentence, right. So, even if you really can not hear the difference, you will most likely understand them in context

[celest olive]

Can you please pronounce each and send it as a voice message to me in dms?

Because even in a dictionary, I can't differenciate the pronuncation

[dense oasis]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=op6Ii7xwRSU&pp=ygUVQ29uc29sZSBwcm9udW5jaWF0aW9u

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh0tFZryP-4&pp=ygUVQ291bnNlbCBwcm9udW5jaWF0aW9u

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_mheCnBr-eg&pp=ygUdQ291bmNpbCBwcm9udW5jaWF0aW9uIGNvbGxpbnM%3D

"console" has two ways of being pronounced, though

one is for "to console" as a verb, and the second is for "a console" as a noun

[dense oasis]

you will most likely not even notice this when you talk to a non-native speaker tho

And you don't even have to be perfect lol. When you use all these words in a sentence, most of the time it's just clear which one is which

[boreal ingot]

Yes for counsel and council, no for console

Counsel and council are homophones

[boreal ingot]

There is no such thing as 'present sophisticated monotonous'

Both sentences you provided are incorrect since they use several modals at once

[celest condor]

Some correct examples,
He's (he is) eating the sandwich I gave him.
He would've (would have) eaten the sandwich I gave him.
He could've (could have) eaten the sandwich I gave him.
He has eaten the sandwich I gave him.

[tranquil stirrup]

i like to devide supercal.... into parts, makes it easier

[celest condor]

https://en.m.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Category:English_phrasal_verbs&pageuntil=BEGOFF beg+off#mw-pages
There are 4900 of them here. It may be easier to study the lists of common ones

[boreal ingot]

Just learn them as you happen upon them to be honest

[fringe jasper]

alright thanks

[gleaming perch]

thanks

[dapper steeple]

Thanks 🙏🏻

[brisk nebula]

This is speaking-related. I somehow have trouble with the letter R and T whenever i speak in English, it's like I'm having a lisp. It never occurred to me in my mother tongue—I can pronounce it very well. It slightly sounds different, tho, on how you pronounce it. So I guess that's the problem? Anyway, sorry for my lengthy question, but ... does anyone have any idea on how to deal with this?

[worn robin]

Hello everyone 🙂 Is anyone here also preparing for IELTS Academic?

[flat rune]

@worn robin hey!

[worn robin]

Hello, are you also preparing for IELTS?

[celest condor]

This is normal. If your first language uses a trilled R you will have to learn the English retroflex r sound. The tongue should curl back. Start with car and far. Say "uh" and curl your tongue back until it turns into an "er" sound. Good pairs of words to learn are collect and correct, or light and right. Moving from "Wed" to "red" will also push you to learn this.
T sounds are made with the tongue touching the top of your mouth near your teeth. In words like top, table, or return, its an 'aspirated' T where you breath a puff of air that sounds like "tuh". There's also a 'final' T like cat, sit, or light. These have no puff of air.
Hope this helps some 🙂

[bleak olive]

......

watching from the sidelines and enjoying it...

[acoustic mica]

Is the sentence I write natural?Am I implying such that properly?
“There is such a shelter with no radiation army keeps specially that people can hide in when war breaks out. “
The content is made up and doesn’t matter.

[bleak olive]

it seems a little awkward, there are a couple of mistakes albeit not major. the meaning is clear.

[amber junco]

"There is such a shelter" sounds off cause you're using "such" as quantitative for an uncountable, I would suggest "We got so sheltered" also I'm confused by the rest of the sentence, do you want say that you`re protected from the "radiation army" or not?

[bleak olive]

such is qualitative, not quantitative.

coma after "radiation",
"the" before "army",
i propose the following version,
"such a shelter for protection against radiation exists, the army has one, they keep it (ready and available) for use by the general population in case of war"

[terse heart]

what dictionary do you use?

[acoustic mica]

Thank for all of you. Beyond my thought it is “with no radiation” which makes debate. The sentence is not news describing something but an exercise so I didn’t consider the mistake it may cause.

[amber junco]

Cambridge is fine but I like Longman more, is up to you really

[amber junco]

I haven't understood the sentence at full so I wasn't sure of the meaning.

[crude bronze]

writing tips?

[bleak olive]

without knowing wht it is you are aiming for or what your current difficulties are, i think giving you random tips might not answer your particular problem.
generally speaking, the aim is to emulate native speakers, so you would want to read something and then appropriate it through writing.
but you need to keep in mind that the brain retains information better when the content is relevant to you or at least relates to you in some way so ideally, you would need a penpal with whom to exchange.

[crude bronze]

like i want to be good at writing articles, stories anything that requires writing

[bleak olive]

thats very broad, stories and articles require different skills not directly related to the actual writing of them.
but if your aim is indeed very broad, then as i wrote above, the best way to go about it is extensive reading. you need to "absorb“ the grammar and diversify your vocabulary.
the one thing about reading though, stick to a particular topic, or an author or a genre. too much diversity also delays acquisition.

[crude bronze]

thank you

[velvet fog]

HEYYY

HEYYYY

CAN SOMEONE HELP ME LSSSS

[celest condor]

ok but shh this is a library

[hollow night]

Question. Is the following sentence grammatically correct?

Sentence: I heard the last time somebody stole the trophy was ten years ago.

[amber junco]

I heard that the last time somebody stole the trophy was ten years ago

the verb "I heard" needs a noun or a pronoun to sound natural for English speakers, you can't use time references for some reason

Not a mistake but just a nitpick: "the trophy" was the trophy stole and than it has returned or is another one? because if is not unique is just a trophy

[boreal ingot]

Your sentence is correct. It's more natural with a 'that', but a 'that' is not needed for it to be grammatically correct

[robust bone]

good night

does "Do you think not?" mean the same of "don't you think?" ?

I feel like "do you think not" is rather archaic, as in "fear not". Am I wrong?

[amber junco]

is not that natural to say "do you think not" You can add "to" at the end as response to mean "not to do it"

Do you think not to?

[robust bone]

alright, but does it sound cool?

because I think I heard someone say it in Game of Thrones

[amber junco]

is important to check what came before than

by itself sounds off

The syntax of "N V not" ("I know not") in English is called simple negation. It was much more common in Early Modern English.

The negation pattern that is more commonly used now, "N do not V" ("I don't know") is called just plain negation.

[brisk nebula]

Thanks for the help! You've given me some good food for thought, I will be looking into it further.

[boreal ingot]

It's kind of off, cuz it mixes the direct negation of Early Modern English/Middle English with the Early/Late Modern English do-support for interrogative sentences

Normally it's either do-support and negation of that 'do' with subject-verb inversion for the interrogative, or it's direct negation of the verb and then subject-verb inversion for the interrogative:

Do you not think?
Think you not?

If you're going for archaic, it would be thus:

Think you not?

Here are two examples from a text from 1561 (Early Modern English)

1. Set not you asmuch by your honestie, as they do by theirs?
2. Thinke you not there were manye to be found that could aswel skill in ruling Cities & armies, as men can?

The first seems to have the negation right after the verb and then the subject: verb-negation-subject

The second is as I phrased it, where it goes verb-subject-negation

Here are more recent ones, actually. This is probably the period you're aiming for

[gleaming perch]

Hello ! 🖐
I've learnt the verb "to get through with [sth]", which means "​to finish or complete a task" according to Oxford learners dictionaries.
I would like to know if it's a pejorative term, meaning if the task to be accomplished is difficult/painful/annoying ?
Moreover, is this verb similar to "to shake [sth] off" ?

[celest condor]

I don't believe so. I could say "I just got through with work, now I'm gonna go do homework" with no negative framing.
I could add negative framing, like "I just need to get through work and then I can go home". This sounds a little more pejorative.
"to shake off" is usually pejorative. It means to let something go, or return to a neutral state. It's more about choosing not to get stuck on something rather than being in a negative frame of mind. I could shake off both excitement and anxiety, even though excitement is usually a good thing.

[flat rune]

An elementary English teacher's working hours ...... than a professor.

a. are more irregular
b. is more irregular
c. is more regular

Please help

[boreal ingot]

'working hours' is plural so you use 'are'

That rules out b and c right away

However, the sentence is inccorect, even if you choose A

to make it correct, you'd have to change

than a professor
to
than a professor's

An elementary English teacher's working hours are more irregular than a professor**'s**.

[flat rune]

so, the the working hours is the object that decides the "is or are" and not the an elementary English? Since my teacher said the opposite 😦

[supple holly]

Your teacher should learn English again before teaching it

[bleak olive]

yes, that's right, the " ...'s" makes it clear that the subject is "working hours"

[amber junco]

what`s this app?

[amber junco]

Wouldn't be more clear if we wrote:
An Elmentary english teacher's working hours are more irregular than a professor's one

[bleak olive]

it sounds redundant. a native speaker does automatically understand without the additing of "ones"

it shoud be "ones" not "one" as it relates to "hourS"

[flat rune]

hehehe, yea my teacher answered me just now. she apologies of the quick answer

thanks all

[flat rune]

thanks 🥰

[dense oasis]

I like your bedroom talk

[supple holly]

Scaring the kids again

[flat rune]

whats bedroom talk?

[supple holly]

You will know when you get a boyfriend/girlfriend/genderfriend

[bleak olive]

talk about "things" that usually take place in the bedroom

[cerulean thorn]

Changing the diapers of your baby?

[bleak olive]

it doesnt usually involve people below the age of 18, well legally at least....

[crude bronze]

where is the library channel?

[supple holly]

You mean #🗃｜resources ?

Or #1217474137266585711

[crude bronze]

no

[supple holly]

What is the library channel

[crude bronze]

there's a library channel here

[supple holly]

If there is, why haven't you found it

[crude bronze]

i just downloaded some books there and now i can't find it

[supple holly]

Maybe it was just someone sharing some books. Not a library channel

[crude bronze]

maybe

[robust bone]

thank you very much.

[hoary arrow]

can any one help me out , i am trying to improve my typing skills specially dictation

I don't know how I should start

[flat rune]

Same,I’m really struggling

[boreal ingot]

Yup, 'working hours' is the part that decides if the verb should be plural or singular. Your teacher is bad at English, very

[boreal ingot]

You got the plural possessive wrong:

Elementary English teachers' working hours are more irregular than professors' (ones)

Adding 'ones' is a bit redundant; it's optional. Either way, both sentences mean the same thing, not much difference

[boreal ingot]

It could reasonably refer to either of these, most likely to the latter:

[boreal ingot]

[boreal ingot]

It's not an app; it's a corpus website. You get 20 searches per day with a free account

https://www.english-corpora.org

The corpus I used was the EEBO one: Early English Books Online

Note: that particular corpus has odd text formatting here and there

[boreal ingot]

Is it the finger that's fried in a 'Kentucky' manner and that's what the 'licking' applies to ('licking a Kentucky-fried finger')? Is 'Kentucky fried' short for 'Kentucky fried chicken' and then 'finger licking' is its own unit? I get they're just adding a lot of emphasis through these extra phrases, but I'm a wee confused about the exact meaning here. Is 'Kentucky fried' often used for emphasis? Is 'Finger licking' often used for emphasis? Must it be the full 'Kentucky fried finger licking' to be used for emphasis? Maybe this is some joke I'm not getting? For context: this is a comment on a Reddit post with a picture of a cyclist that was crushed flat in some sort of accident. Are they saying the cyclist's corpse is 'kentucky fried'? Perhaps it's that sort of morbid joke?

Is it a finger-licking fuck and a Kentucky-fried fuck? Or is it a 'licking a Kentucky-fried finger' fuck?

Is it the finger that's unholy or the fuck?

There were no fingers in the picture, it was basically a smear

[celest condor]

Oh dear. The branding phrases KFC uses are "Kentucky fried chicken" and "finger lickin good". You were right, here they're both modifying the word "fuck". The result is a dramatically long expletive with ironic branding.
If you aren't familiar "finger lickin" is used as a quality of food that's so good you want to lick your fingers, and "Kentucky fried" is the method of frying chicken in Kentucky with the implication that it's the preferred way.

[boreal ingot]

so KFC and 'finger licking' have no real relevance to the picture, it's just a KFC branding reference for the sake of one?

I wasn't aware of the fact KFC used 'finger licking good', so that makes a bit more sense now

[celest condor]

Yes, clearly this isn't a KFC ad, that's why it's kind of funny. And dark it sounds like. They're compound adjectives (?) so tossing them wherever gets the point across

[boreal ingot]

Does the 'finger-licking' imply they enjoy the picture and want more such pictures or is it purely for emphasis?

[celest condor]

I could say "Farm-fresh locally-sourced artisanal bullshit"

Just for emphasis

[boreal ingot]

Like, is it a 'Damn that gore is finger-licking good bro, I want more' sort of thing as a dark joke?

[boreal ingot]

Ohh I see

[boreal ingot]

Oh god that makes sense 😭

It's a pretty funny phrase

Either way, thank you for explainingg!

[amber junco]

"By the time he is 50, he will have lived half of his life in this country"

Is this grammatically correct?

[signal shell]

Sounds good to me 👍

[amber junco]

I was having doubts on "By the time he is 50"

[signal shell]

I think it sounds fine, but I think a good alternative would be "When he is 50"

Perhaps it depends on if the moment the statement becomes true occurs before or after he turns 50.

[bleak olive]

"by the time" means "before" and it is consistent with the use of the future perfect simple tense.
"when" as proposed by someone else just above here is difficult proposition because it would mean "when he turns 50" so it is very precise and rather unlikely, albeit not impossible.

[fiery swallow]

how to delete english from my head

[bleak olive]

not easy,

it takes times and isolation from the language

[fiery swallow]

sad

[bleak olive]

i can give you an example, i only managed to forget one language out of all the languages i have learnt

i lived in finland and learnt finnish (intermediate level), i have now forgotten most of it.

[fiery swallow]

english speakers really dont care about the grammer they just speak without the verb
then why should i study grammer

[bleak olive]

but here are the factors: finland is a small country and the likelihood of meeting finns abroad is very low.

after 30 years, i still remember a few sentences, but i cant actually produce.

[fiery swallow]

u can understand english without the verb

its like nothing changes

[bleak olive]

you are right and i have an issue with that myself, i am often appaled by things i read and hear.

[bleak olive]

you have to keep in mind that most speakers of english, today in the world, are not native speakers.

[fiery swallow]

good point

[bleak olive]

they can be forgiven. the guilty parties are the native speakers who dont actually care about their own language and dont value quality communication skills

[fiery swallow]

ya

[bleak olive]

to be fair, this is symptomatic of the world we live in, most people rush through life and have little regards for anyone and anything.

[crimson vortex]

Some people might object, but i think it's more correct to say "By the time he is 50, he will have BEEN LIVING half of his life in this country"

At least that's how I was taught in my school.

Teachers said to use future perfect continuous, not future perfect

Correct me if i'm wrong

[dense oasis]

I think it's more about what you want to emphasize. You could say "By the time he is 50, he will have lived half of his life in this country", and I think this way of saying it focuses on the fact that hey this is the amount, he will have lived this long, and likely that's it, he's gonna move out (of course we don't know if he is, and it's not implied, it just feels as if it could be said afterwards). But when you do "he will have been living", it makes me feel as if you were focusing on the fact that it was soo long, and it was such a process. And after this, he most likely still will be living there

I don't think it's such a strong nuance that you have to scrutinize this

[crimson vortex]

You have a point. But good luck explaining it to school teachers who treat English rules as strictly as people treat math. I mean, they would say that the original sentence is wrong cuz their book says so.

[dense oasis]

yes, true

I have encountered such people myself

[amber junco]

But that's also wrong cause the sentence wants to use one form to communicate a different feeling towards "living 50 years", choosing between tenses is all about nuances

Both are possible anyway

[boreal ingot]

To me, 'he will have lived' means the total years are half his life, maybe not directly after one another, but he has lived that many years there; on the other hand, 'he will have been living' means, to me, that he has lived those years in succession. Neither one implies that he lives there right now (both of these would work):

He will move there next month, and, by the time he's 50, he will have lived there for half his life.
He will move there next month, and, by the time he's 50, he will have been living there for half his life.
However, I'm a bit inclined to say that hearing someone say 'He will have been living there for half his life' makes me imagine he lives there right now if the context doesn't claim otherwise, whilst saying 'he will have lived there for half his life' doesn't really sway me either way without context.

I'd also like to point out that 'by the time he's 50' would imply he will already have been in the state of having lived there for half his life when he's 50; it will have happened before he's 50 that he's lived there for half his life. That he has already lived half his life there is a certainty when he's 50. (This is a bit hard to be exact about, given that 'half your life' increases as you age, so when you're 50, it may not be true anymore that you lived half your life there. It's a bit hard to be exact about it, given the variability of both numbers.) Then, we have 'when he's 50': I believe this one encapsulates the former. It could be that when he's 50, he already has lived half his life there, but it could also be that precisely when he's 50 is when he has lived half his life there. So it's a bit broader, and I feel that context would dictate which meaning is derived.

@amber junco, @crimson vortex

[dense oasis]

yeah context is king

[flat rune]

🥲

[acoustic geyser]

Basically,:
The Kingdom of England
Kingdom of England
Are the same thing, arent they?

[celest condor]

I believe they're the same, but I can't think of an example where the latter is used

Maybe in a list-
Kingdom of England
Republic of Venice

[bleak olive]

they mean the same in essence but they are used in different contexts:
"kingdom of england" would be found on a map
"the kingdom...." could also be foiund on a map but would primarily be used in a sentence. as an object or subject, you need "the" before.

[forest sparrow]

Which is correct? "This TV programme is running on Channel 57" or "This TV programme is running on the channel 57"?

[latent reef]

1st

[forest sparrow]

Thank you :)

[bleak olive]

@latent reef is correct, i ll just complement the answer
the first one is correct because without "the" it means "channel 57" is the actual channel's name, the same way one says "spain", not "the spain" for example.
"the" is an article we use before something know or unique. we could say "the 57th channel" because "57th" is an ordinal and there is only one of each ordinals.

[boreal ingot]

This makes me wonder, can a 'the' be split over several countries' names?

The Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom, United States of America, Philippines, and Netherlands exist.
or must it be
The Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, the Philippines, and the Netherlands exist.

[wet hazel]

I'm pretty confident the latter is correct.

[boreal ingot]

Of that much I was aware, my question was whether the first is correct

[wet hazel]

Ohh sorry, that's kind of tricky.

No i think they're both correct.

[boreal ingot]

Ah, understood

many thanks!

[bleak olive]

yes, the first is absolutely correct and actually nicer.
articles are distributive just as pronouns are.
the same way, one wouldnt really say "he is tall, he is strong, he is handsome...", we would only use "he is" once.

[heady wraith]

Why does TH at the end of words like MATH, PATH, BATH, SOUTH, NORTH sound like an F Or does it make a ph sound?

[boreal ingot]

This is the third time you've asked this. They don't sound the same. You're just not used to distinguishing the two sounds in word-final position. A native can distinguish them quite easily in that position. The only solution to your problem is practice. Use minimal pairs (pairs of words where the only difference is the two sounds you struggle with) to get that practice. The sound at the end of a word is the same as at the start of one; it's just not very often that you have to distinguish voiceless 'th' and 'f' in that word-final position.

[heady wraith]

I forgot that I asked twice before, sorry. 😅

[verbal heron]

lol

[boreal ingot]

Context: dude is at a brothel. Requests to see a particular worker who charges a higher rate than the two others he was offered to choose from at first. The, I guess 'brothel manager' tells him this:

I well perceaue yow are a wylie brother.
For if there be a morsell of more price,
Yow'l smell it out, though I be ner'e so nice.
So I'm getting she's telling him that she knows he's sly. Even if the price is a bit over what's expected, he'll know, and she knows that (although, I'm not sure what she means by 'though I be never so nice' - secondary question that is, I suppose). So besides the parenthetical question, here is my questions:

As yow desire, so shall yow swiue with hir,
But think your purse-strings shall abye-it deare;
For, he that will eate quaile's must lauish crounes;
And mistris Francis in hir veluet goune's
And ruffs, and periwigs as fresh as Maye,
Can not be kept with half a croune a daye.

croune = crown

So we all don't get bogged down in the irrelevant details, here is a glossary:
wylie = wily (sly, cunning, guileful)
swive = lie with
abye = pay the price for an action
deare = dearly
quaile = prostitute
veluet goune's = velvet gowns

Now, what exactly does it mean to 'Lavish crowns'? I understand 'to lavish' means to overspend/spend a lot ('He lavished his pay cheque on a nice suite'), but I'm not sure what it would mean to 'lavish crowns'? I've looked about a bit, and what I found was that there was a coin called the British crown, but that started being made in the 1900s, and this was written in the 1500s (though published in the early 1800s or thereabouts, but I've digressed), so it couldn't be that coin, but I don't know what else this could mean

[dull rain]

Lavish means 'generous' or 'extravagant', often used to describe rich living or behavior.

[boreal ingot]

Wow, I've never seen someone miss a question so so badly

[dense oasis]

yes but this does not match the context scella provided

[dense oasis]

"must lavish crowns" and "can not be kept with half a crown a day" really just make me suspect that it's some sort of a currency. But you rejected this perspective

I tried to search for "lavish crown" as a single noun lol. And there are some results. But this does not help, it makes it even weirder

[boreal ingot]

I rejected it cuz looking at past British currencies, the 'British crown coin' started being made in the 1900s. I do think it might be some sort of currency, but, if not that one, then whatever else could it be

[dense oasis]

aside from trying to help you, I think it's incredibly amusing that prostitutes are called similar to quails (a type of a bird). Because in vietnamese they are called chickens

@supple holly you'll like this (I'm referring to "gà móng đỏ")

[boreal ingot]

that's actually interesting; I wonder how they're bird-like at all

[dense oasis]

comparing them to chickens would make sense cuz they got their nails done (probably) and chickens also have fancy long nails

[boreal ingot]

Female birds mate with a lot of males I guess (and vice versa)

[boreal ingot]

Hopefully someone who knows historical British currencies comes a long This could also just not be a currency and then idk

[dense oasis]

solved

got the clue

listen up

[boreal ingot]

:00

hit me

[dense oasis]

It's like this, you mentioned crowns, and you are right, but there are even another crowns

[boreal ingot]

not literally

[dense oasis]

And these other crowns were actually exactly in the fifteen hundreds

[boreal ingot]

what were they called?

[dense oasis]

English coins after 1526, so 16th century exactly like your book

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_(English_coin)

monetary reform of 1526

[boreal ingot]

ahhhh

[dense oasis]

And this one was actually before the one you mentioned

[boreal ingot]

thank you black kiottytytytyty

[dense oasis]

this "English silver crown" refers to what I showed above, monetary reform of 1526

[dense oasis]

this screenshot comes from:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_(British_coin)

[dense oasis]

you're welcome. Happy to have solved your mystery

[boreal ingot]

Seriously :/

What are the mods doing

[supple holly]

Didn't even know this was a thing. I only know them as bướm đêm. Moths. Because they come out at night and gather around streetlights. Lol

[boreal ingot]

That's amazing

I love that term lmao

[hazy goblet]

I teach trading and I give loans with no collateral. Feel free to dm me

[supple holly]

Would you give me $1k. I'll pay it back. Someday. If I remember to. And if I really want to. Which I won't. Maybe

[hazy goblet]

Where are you from?

[hazy goblet]

Send me a direct message

[flat rune]

In the song "I ain't worried about it" by OneRepublic. What does it mean by "1999, heroes"?

[bleak olive]

without knowing the song, the logical explanation is that the song refers to people the songwriter/s see as heroes for some action/s in 1999.
there are likely other references within the song that could help you find who those heroes are (in the eyes of the songwriter/s) and what it was that confers that status (again, in the eyes/mind of the songwriter/s).

[amber junco]

Songs meaning are contest dependent especially english songs, my wild guess by checking the lyrics before is that he's talking about people in the past from around 1999 that stayed the same, didn't worry about it and done their heroic deeds

TL;DR: You have to look it up with sources

Another song that became popular recently "Invisible" by Duran Duran is another that have a vague meaning, my theory is that is probably about minorities abused and probably even killed but an entity that doesn't even addresses by their names

[boreal ingot]

Hey, so when one says 'are you taking the piss', what preposition should be used if we want to add at whom this action of 'taking the piss' is directed. I mean it in the sense of 'kidding/annoying purposefully'

Are you taking the piss on my friend right now?
Are you taking the piss at my friend right now?
Are you taking the piss to my friend right now?
Are you taking the piss with my friend right now?

[amber junco]

In the UK I've heard "taking the piss of..." but I'm not sure vulgar people would even care about grammar

[bleak olive]

you are conflating "piss off" and "take the piss".

[bleak olive]

none of the above. there s no object to "taking the piss"

[supple holly]

I would say, "taking the piss out of"

But "at" also sounds right. I'm sure I heard someone use that before, but don't remember exactly

[bleak olive]

you could remove "take" and sya "piss on" which would be figurative for "talking trash about someone"

[boreal ingot]

'out of' sounds so weird but I guess that's the best we've got

checked wiktionary and it confirms

I guess 'out of' and 'at'

I think I've heard someone say 'out at'

also

What do we think of that one?

Are you taking the piss out at me?

[supple holly]

It's ugly to the ear

(My humble, professional opinion)

[boreal ingot]

Thanks lmao

[wanton juniper]

From*

[forest sparrow]

"If only he could, he would run, escape somewhere, claw his way out. Even if what awaited him there was death. Anything would be better than lying trapped like this for an eternity, in constant fear of the unknown."

This is a paragraph in my story and I'm stuck wondering whether I should add "the" before "constant fear of the unknown" or not. I've tried putting it through google docs but it doesn't underline neither version. Could anyone help?

[latent reef]

it is because both work, with "the" is more natural/formal, however without "the" can be seen as more poetic/stylised

[forest sparrow]

Hmm, alright

Thank you, I'll think about which one I like more

[dense oasis]

I'd do it without th

[boreal ingot]

I second without. Both are correct, but without flows much better

[acoustic geyser]

Can I use sense verb with present continuous? I saw a lot of people on the media that used the tense like that so is it incorrect?

[boreal ingot]

Normally you can, yeah. But it more often means 'habitually' and 'often nowadays' rather than 'continuously at this very moment'
That is

I'm hearing a lot of stuff about him these days, all negative
^ This is fine
I'm talking to you right now through my phone. Yes, I'm hearing you.
^ This isn't quite alright

[flat rune]

Native speakers and learners, could you please give me some advice in learning English better?

[deft fjord]

If u want to learn it i advice you to watch some tv show and movies with subtitles on or in vo (bc that’s how i learned it) and i think that’s the best way to learn it in the beginning

[flat rune]

@bleak olive could you we tell me in an easy way? I still couldnt get it

[bleak olive]

basically, the word hero is subjective. i am not sure i can explain in simple words and sentences.
maybe to you someone IS a hero, but maybe, to me the same person isn't heroic.
so, the person who wrote the song saw something in someone, and to the songwriter, this someting was "heroic" and therefore this "someone" was a hero in the eyes of the songwriter.
and the "something" , or the action/s that made the "hero", took place in 1999.

does that help?

[flat rune]

but why do the singer says 1999 heroes in the song after he sings some sentences (lyrics)? since I cant conclude it

[bleak olive]

right, i read the lyrics and it is simple.
"1999 heroes" justifies the worrilessness and the keeping of the dream alive.

basically, he says "i dont worry, and my dream is alive because i still have in my mind those heores of 1999"

[flat rune]

so basically, this song is made for the heroes?

[flat rune]

I mean the whole song is actually saying no worry because we have heroes?

[vague gust]

what "a hunnid" mean

[latent reef]

without context cant be certain but pretty sure it is about money, so $100

or £100 if they in the uk

[vague gust]

a hunnid times

[latent reef]

then just 100

[bleak olive]

no, it doesnt seem like the song is "made" for heroes. the heroes are just ONE OF the reasons there is hope and a dream alive.
the song is about staying positive regardless of the circumstances of life.

[wooden trout]

How serious is it when I call someone a liar?(I might let someone down in videogame)

[acoustic geyser]

Is present simple the same as future simple when we use to talk about habitual action?

[latent reef]

it depends what the lie is about more than the fact that you called them a liar

[wooden trout]

i got it,thx bro

[green wolf]

Do you have an example?

If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, then my answer is yes

[boreal ingot]

Sorry, I don't understand your question

You'd have to clarify a bit

[lone vapor]

i totally agree what you said cause i think the same, and i think that learn english is really more fast when you think in english to, but sometimes i don't have the worlds in english so my thoughts go in french and i can make more mistakes ahah

[shrewd topaz]

Answering your first question: yes, language absolutely impacts thought. So much so that logic, the discipline of ordered and precise thinking, gets its name from the greek word logos, which means speech, discourse or, literally, "word". Some languages have syntax that work in a way, and others work completely different. Order of wording is order of thinking. Emphasis is given to certain aspects in a language, then the referents, i.e. the real thing to which the word is a sign of, related to those same aspects become clearer in peoples' minds if they think through that syntax for a long time.
An example of this are japanese kanji, which are much more image evoking than other languages, so you have an extra aspect to observe when reading and writing poetry, for example.

Speaking of the people who say that grammar does not matter, ignore them and learn as much grammar as possible. You don't even need to learn english grammar per se, if you truly master your first language. Grammar rules share some structures and all parts of the discourse are the same in every single language in the world. As i have said, some are more prominent, emphasized or overshadowed in certain languages; still, all languages share the same structure that one could find when observing Aristotle's ten categories of Being.

As for the rest, i couldn't disagree more on your solution. I use AI esporadically, but it is a crippling tool when used to skip steps of learning. People are so obsessed with overcoming the hardships of the process of thinking that they are abandoning thought itself. Just grit your teeth and study grammar. Read poetry and high literature in the language you wish to master; if you do that enough, it will just come naturally to you. Do not stress over people making fun of you if you fumble on a word or two. Just move on.

I get it. I learned english in similar way, but now i know i could have spared me some time and avoided some linguistic habits that are not really good. You can keep going that route, bt i think it is not that productive.

You will have to relly on yourself to recognize the morphological patterns, which will take longer than it would.

[bleak olive]

you talk about the problem from the perspective of the learner; i dont dismiss that, i have learnt a few foreign languages myself so i can understand your concers.
but, if you learn english, your target audience is as likely to be native to the language as it is to be non-native.
to a native speaker, grammar is very meaningful, therefore you cannot do away with learning grammar.
yes, it does take time, but if you are aiming to work in an english speaking environment, quality communication will be important and you can not rely on AI for that.
get a good grammar book (the "grammar in use" collection is good), go through it as you do some regular reading.

[shrewd topaz]

I wasn't really aiming at you when i said that about AI.

The thing is that there are more productive ways of doing the exact same thing the AI does, but you do it yourself.

[shrewd topaz]

If you rely on AI to correct your grammar, you will not "enroot" the rules and their reasoning into your mind as well as you would if you just corrected yourself based on your memory after studying.

That way, after some time, it will become automatic, like everything you truly learn.

Otherwise you will have to keep consulting AI or other sources everytime you forget a morphology or syntax rule.

[fleet matrix]

@shrewd topaz Excuse me May I saking some question?

*asking

[vivid wasp]

Hello, does anyone have a physical copy of this dictionary? Soanes, C. and Stevenson, A. (ed.). Oxford Dictionary of English. Revised Second Edition. Oxford University Press, 2005.

[crimson vortex]

Hello, how natural is it to call human children "offspring" in casual conversation? Is it acceptable only in biological and medical contexts?

[turbid kayak]

This is actually not common at all and doesn’t seem very natural! 🙂 We usually just use the word kids or children. Offspring is usually used more in terms of animals!!

[boreal ingot]

Not common at all for humans

[dense oasis]

there is one song that has this, "letting off on my offspring", it's from Killshot by Eminem. And chances are you took it from there

no it's not normal, he used it to sound more violent and anti-systemic

[shrewd topaz]

Hi. Sorry for not ewsponding earlier. You may ask anything you want.

[fiery talon]

Nah fellas remember if you have any questions, ask the people who are fluent with English and not the people who are native, they know more than us 😭

[latent reef]

No truer words have ever been said, I never know why the fuck it is the way it is, I just know it

[acoustic geyser]

Hello
When do I use:
Want to be + V-ing and Need to be + V-ing

[flat rune]

thanks

[bleak olive]

you just dont use "want" in the U.K., only God and the King have the right to say "want". that's what i was told when i was young when i used "want".

[flat rune]

in the song "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None The Richer

"Kiss me out of the bearded barley" means

1. Lets's kissing in another place rather than bearded barley
2. Amidst the bearded barley
   ?

If the latter is the correct, how to think in easier way "out of" means "amidst" rather than the literal "out"?

Why does the singer say "green green grass"? Is it a typical idiom or any relation with sth?

[bleak olive]

you can use want to talk about other things to express need.
examples: you want those teeth fixed = those teeth would be better if they were fixed.
but "need" would be more pressing here.

[bleak olive]

"want to be +ing" is rather unusual. it means basically "would rather be doing something other than i am doing now"
and again "need" is more pressing.

[acoustic geyser]

What about need to be + V-ing?

[bleak olive]

need to be + -ing = it is imperative to
i need to be going now = it is imperative for me to go now

[buoyant thicket]

I want to be at home lounging, but here I am working overtime. I don't see what is wrong with that sentence

[bleak olive]

nah, please dont use WANT, not polite.

i would like to be at home lounging
i d rather be at home
would prefer to be at home

etc...

[bleak olive]

WANT is not polite. as i said, wheni was young, we werent allowed to say want. parents and teachrs used to tell us that only God and the Queen can“want” (today would be the King)

most well educated people in england would use "would like" or "would rather", etc..

[buoyant thicket]

I literally cannot even find that on google

[bleak olive]

sure, google must be right then.
nevermind.

[buoyant thicket]

... I'm not saying that, clearly you were told that, I just can't find anything about it, which means it might have been something more local / religious, rather than a wide-spread thing

[bleak olive]

well, i am 52, so things in my time were different

and my point is that if you wish to keep opportunities coming, the best is to keep your language as clean as possible.
i know that as an employer myself a few years back, i used to disqualify certain applicants based on their use of language.
and that sort of prejudice (because people call it prejudice) is very common in H.R.

[supple holly]

Sounds like that's more of a you problem

[bleak olive]

unlikely, language is known to be a factor in assessment decisions in HR.
accent, use of vocabulary and grammar, are all indicators of background and "suitability" that recruiters take into consideration.

but you are probably right, what do i know...

good luck living in a world (apparently）without prejudices...

[supple holly]

No need for luck because I've never met any HR as stuck up as you

With the backhanded comments too. Hilarious

[bleak olive]

you will get far! i can tell

[bleak olive]

oh, just talked to a 23 year old who did an internship in HR, he confirmed that they have forms which include language use assessment....
but maybe they are just stuck-up HR recruiters in 2025...

[brisk jasper]

Hi lads, I wish now to learn some British accent as I find'em really cool, so do you know some YT channels maybe (whatever topics) where I can listen to the accent regularly ? Or other way to practice or a way to be accomodated to it ?

[mossy jungle]

Is there any English teacher from US?

[supple holly]

man so mad he had to go back almost an hour later to continue the argument. You can have the win, just for your determination

[bleak olive]

lol, that was merely a few minutes later.
man is so mad he cant even be objective anymore. lol

cute....

[celest condor]

Mood. I desire to lounge 😂

[dense oasis]

Yes so brave and courageous

"All you need is patience when you have nothing, and attitude when you have everything", but here there are both, truly a warrior spirit

[boreal ingot]

Using 'want' and 'need' with the continuous tenses isn't that common. I can see it with 'want', but with 'need' it sounds really odd to me. Normally, you say you 'want to be [verb]ing' when you don't require (for something) buy rather just desire/hope to [verb] habitually. Now, I know that's confusing, so I'll give an example:

I want to be living my life to the fullest everyday, to be traveling to countries I admire, to be seeing the people I love!
This means that you want (strongly desire/hope for) to live to the fullest, travel to countries, and see people regularly/often. You want that to be the norm in your life, not just something you do once

I hope this helps

I can't help with 'need to be [verb]ing' since that's a bit more unusual to me, maybe someone else could. I'm sorry

The best I could say is this:
I assume you're aware that, informally, people use 'need' to mean 'really really want', even though nothing is left unattained without whatever is 'needed', only a strong desire isn't met. That is to say, people use 'need' to refer to things that aren't needed, but only strongly wanted or desired. I can, perhaps, see 'need' in that informal sense being used in the 'need to be [verb]ing' construction. Example:

Girl, I need to be going places; I hate being stationary.

There, it's not truly a need, but, rather, a strong urgent desire. So the explanation for its meaning would be the same as that of the 'want to be [verb]ing' construction's example, but with more urgency and strength of desire

Perhaps someone else could further elucidate 'need to be [verb]ing' in the sense of a true need

[celest condor]

I'm unsure if this is proper but I've heard "I need to be studying" to mean I should be studying but I'm either not studying right now, or I am currently studying and I'm turning down another task

Ah a true need could be "you need to be wearing safety equipment in this area."
It's a necessity for an ongoing action

[boreal ingot]

Oo, that example makes sense, but I'm not sure how to explain the difference between it and just using 'you need to wear' to a learner

[celest condor]

"you need to wear safety equipment" is the simple form, it states the rule or act that is needed.
"you need to be wearing safety equipment" is the continuous form, it means it should be happening now. Does that make sense?

[boreal ingot]

Perhaps I'd be inclined to use the continuous form if I happened upon someone not wearing safety gear whilst in the area. I'd use the simple form if we were going into the area and I was cautioning everyone with me and telling them to put on safety gear

Poor LaughingMagician's question has got quite buried by rather useless argument. Hopefully they benefit to some degree from these answers

[boreal ingot]

Yeah, your explanation is better than mine, given it's broader than the two examples I gave

@acoustic geyser ^ I believe the whole thread above answers your question

Further, Iwilldoityesterday, whilst he did belabour his point of 'want' being inappropriate, did give a good example: 'I need to be going now'. This is a bit more urgent than 'I need to go now' since it means that you need to be in the process of going/you need to be on your way rather than that you need to start going.

This one could go either way, by the way: it could be a need proper or a strong desire depending on the context

[acoustic geyser]

So basically:
Have to / need to/ supposed to / going to /etc/,..... be + V-ing are continuous form?

[vivid wasp]

I agree with this

[dreamy spear]

Which one is correct and why?
A. If food is less and less produced, more farmers will disappear.
B. As long as food is less and less produced, more farmers will disappear.
C. Both
D. none

[latent reef]

answer is D, phrase "food is less and less produced" is incorrect grammatically, "If less and less food is produced" is the correct phrasing of it

[flat rune]

help?

@boreal ingot please?

[boreal ingot]

'Out' is likely being used in its normal sense

'from inside/from amidst'

You know how we say 'break me out of this place'

'out' is similarly used in this particular sentence of the song

'bearded barely' is a type of plant, they're probably omitting the word 'field'

So in this kiss 'kiss me out' is kind of like 'kiss me while we manage our way out/while we go from amidst the bearded barely to an outside position'

[flat rune]

okay

thanks scella

[opal trellis]

lol u had a fight with the weird french unc...

[supple holly]

My pleasure to entertain the near-elderly

[opal trellis]

Is he a good English helper though

He's pretty fluent I've listened to him a couple of times

[supple holly]

I think so, yes

We only "fought" because I didn't agree with how he thinks a certain word should be used

Not really an English thing, just an opinion thing

[opal trellis]

Dis?

[opal trellis]

Apart from grammatical errors everything is based on opinion, innit

[supple holly]

Some words only have certain scenarios where they'd be appropriate. But it depends on context and even personal style, so it can be partially based on opinion yeah

Grammar too. The whole American and British English thing

[boreal ingot]

Even grammar lol

[opal trellis]

you mean the americans have different opinion than the british

on grammar

[timber bluff]

I think A and B bringing different contexts somehow, but grammatically I think both are OK

[boreal ingot]

Just take a look at these constructions, all acceptable in some dialect or region or another, all of which none-standard (yet most of which not exceedingly rare): 'The dog wants fed', 'You gonna be at the party?', 'We're after eating dinner', 'That might should be different', 'You asked me who do I like', 'Them kids are growing', 'Who all wants to meet you?', 'The book was given me by the librarian', 'I done seen it', 'I ain't got no clue', 'We've many questions', and even 'If I had have seen him doing that, I would have tried to stop him'. Then you have differences of pronouns. Some dialects still use 'thou', some use 'yous/youse', some use 'ye' and 'yees', also 'yiz', some use 'y'all', and some even use 'yinz'. There is also 'em, which isn't actually from 'them' but from a different Old English pronoun.

That's all to say, even grammar is opinion-based. Some people will die on their hill of 'no that sentence is wrong', but to another that sentence will be a pretty normal daily thing to say. We've cobbled together a 'standard', but that doesn't make the other variants wrong, just regional. They're grammatical within the dialect. And mind you, these aren't like 'UK-US' differences, they exist within the countries in different areas

[opal trellis]

whats the point of learning grammar then

[supple holly]

to not sound like a caveman of course

[boreal ingot]

You try to learn a standard mostly agreed on for the formal contexts.
Still should keep an open mind to the hundreds of constructions out there, since they're all grammatical in their own right, within their region. Whenever we say 'grammatical' we mean it's grammatical in terms of the standard, but many constructions are grammatical in their area, but not in other areas and not in terms of the standard

[timber bluff]

To know how to bend its rules and have fun with it 🤣

[boreal ingot]

Linguistics is mostly descriptivist. We see what's going on and are like 'okay so I think this is the rule it's going by maybe ? There is a lot of variation though' not 'Yup this is how it should be, fuck anything else'

[opal trellis]

scellas examples sound like theyve been uttered from a cavemans mouth

but theyre still valid

[boreal ingot]

You can't just insult them and call them valid at the same time Language is just like that smh

They're mad to me, but that's what makes them fascinating lmao. People use these to talk abt stuff and convey ideass

[opal trellis]

What dialect is your about me in lol @boreal ingot

[boreal ingot]

Ah, nah my about me is just older language

'like' has an older meaning no one actually uses anymore

'be' was used as the present subjunctive form back then

If he be foe, then we shall smite him down.

that meaning of 'like' was 'inclined to'

If he [is] [inclined to] die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.

Although, now that I think about it. I'm curious what a usage dictionary would say about 'had better'

Lemme check

[opal trellis]

lol present subjunctive

i never learnt that grammatical stuff

in high school i used to just tick the option that sounded right to me

i didnt memorize conditional structures and tense structures, etc

[supple holly]

that's usually how it is with natural language learning yeah. I was the same too. I only learned the grammar rules when I had to teach it to others

[boreal ingot]

Interesting hehe

[boreal ingot]

I was the same as well; I used to hate grammatical stuff

I still sometimes do lol

I'd been 5 or 6 years that I hadn't touched grammar and simply osmosed the language before I got into that stuff a bit more

[dense oasis]

I disagree

For me I had to consciously study grammar rules to actually know how to use them

Of course later I did a loooot of listening, so I started ingraining these patterns. But at first I studied these things to actually know how to use this and what means what

Memorizing conditionals and tenses was very helpful to me and till now I would always recommend it to people who are starting out, it's just very difficult to notice all of this purely by yourself without conscious studying

[dense oasis]

People who claim otherwise, like you, are often actually not as good as you are @supple holly . You are yourself, but think about the amount of listening and exposure you had. Many people who say "never studied grammar and still got good" are actually not good

They make basic mistakes in tenses and can not distinguish between conditionals

If I say "If I were you, I wouldn't have told her" then to them this is the same as "If I am you, I do not tell her", which is not the same meaning anymore, it implies something else. I know this (the first example) is a mixed conditional with the 2nd conditional in the first part, and the 3rd conditional in the second part, and I also know that it sounds right. Because I did both listening and conscious grammar studying

It has never made me perfect, and I do not strive to be perfect, but it has made me decent enough to be better than many people who study this language

I strongly think that studying grammar is not a total waste of time

[dense oasis]

If I were to study other languages now, like I tried with Japanese before, I would still reapply the same rule. To not ignore grammar. No matter if I were to choose my neighbouring German, or go back to Japanese, or go for Vietnamese, I'd like to not skip studying grammar

[supple holly]

TL;DR?

[dense oasis]

I like it rough

[boreal ingot]

[verbal heron]

[boreal ingot]

I've sort of noticed this with posher British acents. Their MOUTH lexical set is almost monophthongal, but I canhear the slightest bit of a shift in the quality of the vowel, so I think it's a very quick diphthong, but it certainly doesn't approach the typical [ʊ̯] to its end, maybe something much more central? I do think I do this in my own pronunciation from time to time, though not consistently, and I was wondering what accents do it and whether it's really done by posher Brits. It makes 'ground' and 'grand' sound alike, as well as 'shout' and 'shat', and 'loud' and 'lad', (so on with MOUTH-TRAP words). I was also wondering if this sort of 'smoothing' (for lack of a better term) happaned to other diphthongs (not triphthongs, I know it happens to those), particularly the PRICE set. Here is a recording of the word 'ground':

[boreal ingot]

I made and read a small MOUTH-set-words-heavy sentence to demonstrate what I mean. It's quite clear most of those aren't proper 'aww' sounds:

[tardy orbit]

Hi

[void bluff]

Hi, can anyone correct my sentence?
“After Milei won the presidential elections in December 2023, he applied a fiscal adjustment that lead to people (specially if they were in the public sector) feeling the pinch. This program was inexorable for the economy not to crush in hiperinflation.”

And this:
“The city where the protagonist of the book “Crime and punishment” lives feels abject”

[restive horizon]

The information between the “-“ could realistically be between a comma or in parenthesis. The - would indicate a stronger emphasis if that’s what you wanted to imply.

[boreal ingot]

After Milei won the presidential elections in December 2023, he applied a fiscal adjustment that lead to people (especially ~~if they were in ~~ those in the public sector) feeling the pinch. This program was ~~inexorable ~~ necessary/needed for the economy not to crush collapse in because of/as a result of hyperinflation.

1. 'Especially', not 'specially', is what you mean. They have different meanings.
2. 'if they were in' is a wee circumlocutionary. It would be best to just say 'those in'. However, if the intended meaning is 'those who were at some point but aren't anymore in the public sector', then rephrase it to 'those who had been in the public sector'.
3. 'inexorable' doesn't work there. The adjective I'd use depends on the meaning you intend, but 'inexorable' means something can't be stopped nomatter what one does.
4. Normally economies 'collapse' not 'crush'
5. 'because of/as a result of' are a bit more natural
6. 'Hyperinflation' is the spelling

One note, it doesn't make sense that the 'fiscal adjustment' would cause people to '[feel] the pinch' (struggle monetarily) and would lead 'the economy not to [collapse] [as a result of] [hyperinflation]' at the same time. These seem like contradictory things. Maybe you have made that make sense somehow, but, at the moment, your writing doesn't explain it, so it leaves the reader confused.

[lusty spear]

Hello, I’m learning new words from the Oxford 3000 dictionary, and I’d like to hear any tips or recommendations for learning English. I’m not sure what my level is, so I’m starting from the beginning.

[grizzled ermine]

When can we say "fair enough" ?

[boreal ingot]

When you don't fully agree with something 100%, but you can still see/understand, it, the logic behind it, the reasons for it, and so on

Or sometimes when you don't really have an opinion on the matter, or just want to show you aren't going to fight them on it, even if you do think differently

P1: I don't like coffee.
P2: Eh, fair enough.

P1: I try to avoid touching it so it doesn't break.
P2: Oh yeah, fair enough. It's pretty expensive.

[acoustic mirage]

In old En 's' looks like 'f', I get confused

[boreal ingot]

It's not only Old English. It was used in Middle English, and even Early Modern English

It's called the 'long s'

It has some rules for when it's used, also

It's easier to explain when it isn't used though.

1. Never ever used at the end of a word
2. Never used when the S is capitalised
3. Sometimes avoided when there is an 'f' in the word (not always)
4. In 'ss', the first is always long, the second can be long or short

It does look a lot like an <f>, I agree. Most native speakers I've shown texts from back then have confused the long s with f

But as you read more and more texts from that era, you'll become used to it!

It's a matter of practice, as all things in language

[acoustic mirage]

Thanks 😊

[tawny pine]

Hey! One of the most valuable tips from my own experience with learning new words is to use the Anki app. When creating a card, don’t just add the word itself — include some context. Try using the word in a sentence or phrase to really make it stick. And most importantly, be consistent: it’s better to spend 10 minutes a day than to cram for an hour once in a while!

[boreal ingot]

Hello to all who may know the answers. I have a few questions about the following excerpt from a poem:

On him hir eyes continualy were fixt;
With hir eye-beames his melting looke's were mixt,
Which, like the Sunne, that twixt two glasses plaies,
From one to th' other cast's rebounding rayes.

He, lyke a starre that, to reguild his beames
Sucks-in the influence of Phebus streames,
Imbathes the lynes of his descending light
In the bright fountaines of hir clearest sight.

She, faire as fairest Planet in the skye,
Hir puritie to noe man doeth denye;

The verie chamber that enclouds her shine
Lookes lyke the pallace of that God deuine,
Who leades the daie about the Zodiake,
And euerie euen discends to th'oceane lake;

So fierce and feruent is her radiance,
Such fyrie stakes she darts at euerie glance
As might enflame the icie limmes of age,
And make pale death his seignedrie to aswage;

To stand and gaze upon her orient lamps,
Where Cupid all his chiefest ioyes encamps
And sitts, and playes with euery atomie
That in hir Sunne-beames swarme aboundantlie.

1. ('Hir puritie …') This one I thought about for a bit. I checked a few dictionaries (including a Middle English one) and couldn't get any sense of 'deny' that would properly fit. I'm thinking there are two possible ways to re-order the sentence, but I can't quite find a meaning that would fit either re-ordering:

1. Noe man doeth denye to hir puritie
2. Hir puritie doeth denye to noe man
   (1) [ref. 1st attachment] could work under this sense of the word: 'We denied her happiness/We denied happiness to her'. Perhaps what is not being denied to her purity is simply elided, that being 'attention' or 'appreciation': 'No man does deny to her purity appreciation/No man does deny appreciation to her purity/No man does deny her purity appreciation'. While it's roundabout, I don't see it as impossible. He's obviously very focused on her and praising, so it could be that it's easily deriveable that what's not being denied is attention/appreciation, though it be not stated.
   (2) [ref. 2nd&3rd att.] Since 'deny' could mean 'withhold' at around the time of the poem's writing, and since that sense could be used with 'to' ('He denies to no man that joy' = 'He does not withhold that joy from any man'), I see it as plausable that here, that is the sense in use. The interpretation would be thus (Once again employing elision, this time of 'itself' [that being withheld]): 'Hir puritie to noe man doeth denye' -> 'Hir puritie doeth denye to noe man' -> 'Her purity does [withhold] [from] no man' -> 'Her purity does withhold [itself] from no man' -> 'her purity does not withhold itself from any man'. In other words, she is equally pure to all men/people. I'd be inclined to call this a stretch, were the other interpretation not as much of one.

I feel both are plausible, and I can't see why one would be chosen over the other. Please help me with that.

2. ('And make pale …') As for this one, I did my fair share of Googling about, yet so elusive has the answer been, that I am nigh inclined to say no records of it exist but for this particular poem: the word 'seignedrie'. I have found the word 'Seignory', from French 'Seigneur' (ref. 4th&5th att.), and the spelling of the French term is a bit closer to 'Seignedrie' than that of the Modern English one, yet it is a fair bit off. The meaning of 'Seignory', if indeed it be the word in use, is remarkably fitting: her radiance and fiery gaze could make even the pale and cold death himself loosen (assuage) his lordship over one. Regardless, though so be the case, that so fitting a meaning is of a word of so similar a form, I have yet to find a single definition of 'seignedrie'. My best guess is that it's an Anglo-Norman French word that this author used, but which wasn't quite common then, and did not survive into Modern French or Modern English. He may have perhaps employed a derivational suffix (from French or English) that was yet productive at the time, and thereby coined a word (one which did not catch on), but then the question of what that suffix and root were arises. (If this theory is true, I imagine the root is related to 'Seigneur'. I've no idea as regards the suffix, though.) Perhaps one ought to Google in French to find the answers, but of that I am not capable.

Slight mention ought to be made to that it may be the case that 'pale' is not modifying 'death', but rather is an object complement, modifying 'death his seignedrie'. In which case, 'death's seignedrie' is made 'pale' by her 'fierce and feruent ... radiance' and 'fyrie stakes she darts at euerie glance'. I thought this is unlikely, but thought I'd best mention it, since it's syntactically not out of the question, though what sense may be made of it is, at this time, beyond me.

I hope any spelling mistakes I've made are excused.

-# To those wonder, this all is a question ^

[opal trellis]

"He is the unsolicited child of their family."

what do yall think does this sentence mean

[dense mirage]

i feel like i just study an essay stucture and use my vocabs and grammar to apply to it . i wonder if there any guide to actually learn to write one ? IELTS one btw

[celest condor]

1. Puritie I'm assuming here is both her beauty and her chastity or spiritual purity. I read this as "no man could deny the validity/existence of her purity" as in her purity is so undeniable that no man who sees her could say she is not pure. 'her purity does not withhold itself from any man' looks most correct. The first I see as less correct because the emphasis is on the strength/obviousness of her purity not the attention given to it. There likely is attention/appreciation as a result of her purity, but that is not what the statement is pointing towards.
2. I also can't find anything very useful, your guess seems most likely.

[celest condor]

unsolicited could mean "didn't ask for" or "unwanted." it could be an accidental child

[little perch]

Can we use the modal verb "Must" as an analogue of the modal verb "Have to" to express neutral/external obligation? If so, will these sentences be correct and express mentioned obligation?

[Affirmative Sentence + Simple Active Infinitive] Soldiers must obey orders
[Affirmative Sentence + Continuous Active Infinitive] All employees must be wearing safety helmets in the construction zone
[Affirmative Sentence + Simple Passive Infinitive] All electronic devices must be switched off during takeoff
[Affirmative Question + Simple Active Infinitive] Must we report this incident to the authorities?
[Affirmative Question + Continuous Active Infinitive] Must the workers be wearing protective gear right now?
[Affirmative Question + Simple Passive Infinitive] Must the documents be translated into English?
[Negative Question + Simple Active Infinitive] Must passengers not leave their seats during turbulence? /// Mustn't passengers stay in their seats during turbulence?
[Negative Question + Continuous Active Infinitive] Must the security guards not be patrolling the area? /// Mustn't the security guards be patrolling the area?
[Negative Question + Simple Passive Infinitive] Must the report not be approved by the supervisor? /// Mustn't the report be approved by the supervisor?

[cedar shoal]

do you mean, does it make sense to say- “you must have to […]”??

[hollow night]

I have a question for British English speakers. Do you pronounce "flour" as "flar" or "flower"?

[latent reef]

"Flower", I am from london

[crisp locust]

hello im from algeria

[boreal ingot]

I pronounce both 'flower' and 'flour' as almost 'flar' but with a slight schwa towards the end

It's something some accents do, where the 'awuh' sound becomes 'aauh' basically

*Not British but speak with a decently British accent fluently, so I'm a speaker of British English, though not natively

I imagine you've asked this question after hearing someone pronounce one of the words as I said I pronounce them. This is called 'triphthong smoothing'. It's done in posher variants of RP and I think by Southern American English speakers

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Triphthong_smoothing&wprov=rarw1

[hollow night]

Hi, thanks for your response!

Actually, I asked because of an ongoing debate on Reddit. Here's the link if you're interested.

https://www.reddit.com/r/askSingapore/comments/1mf5s1g/singaporeans_who_went_to_school_during_the_80s90s/

[amber junco]

"I was wondering whether you'd thought of going out for a coffee"
doe this sentence sounds natural?

[little perch]

No, I mean can I use "must" instead of "have to" in some cases?

[latent reef]

you'd thought of going, sounds stange, I would probably use about rather than of so "I was wondering whether you'd thought about going out for a coffee"

[lusty marten]

Functionally "must" and "have to" mean the exact same thing. "I have to go home." and "I must go home." Are identical in meaning, although "have to" would be more common in every day speech

[little perch]

Okay, so are these sentences be correct and express external obligation?

[Affirmative Sentence + Simple Active Infinitive] Soldiers must obey orders
[Affirmative Sentence + Continuous Active Infinitive] All employees must be wearing safety helmets in the construction zone
[Affirmative Sentence + Simple Passive Infinitive] All electronic devices must be switched off during takeoff
[Affirmative Question + Simple Active Infinitive] Must we report this incident to the authorities?
[Affirmative Question + Continuous Active Infinitive] Must the workers be wearing protective gear right now?
[Affirmative Question + Simple Passive Infinitive] Must the documents be translated into English?
[Negative Question + Simple Active Infinitive] Must passengers not leave their seats during turbulence? /// Mustn't passengers stay in their seats during turbulence?
[Negative Question + Continuous Active Infinitive] Must the security guards not be patrolling the area? /// Mustn't the security guards be patrolling the area?
[Negative Question + Simple Passive Infinitive] Must the report not be approved by the supervisor? /// Mustn't the report be approved by the supervisor?

[lusty marten]

All of the affirmative sentences and questions make sense and sound correct. The negative questions aren't technically incorrect in the usage of "must" but native speakers wouldn't express those phrases like that. "Mustn't" is not really used outside of older literature, like 1800s to early 1900s. Instead of saying "must the report not be approved by the supervisor?", most native speakers would write "Does the supervisor not have to approve the report?"

[little perch]

Okay got it! Thank you so much!

[mossy helm]

Hello, I'm a college student, a fitness trainer, a boxer, and I want a girl so that we can become real friends, take care of each other, talk about everything, and learn English together.

[grizzled ermine]

When can we say "dawm" or "I'm dawmed" pls?

[latent reef]

"Dawn" isn't a word

[fiery talon]

this isn't the introductions hun

[latent reef]

Also a crazy intro to make

[fiery talon]

ikr 😭

[latent reef]

Who needs dating apps when you have language discords

[verbal heron]

[verbal heron]

#📝｜introduction

@mossy helm

[gentle flower]

-cbot

[little perch]

I have a few statements about the modal verb "Must". Are all of them correct?

1. The modal verb "Must" can be used to express personal/internal obligation in the present and future tenses. For the past tense here we need to use the modal verb "Have to"
2. The modal verb "Must" can be used to express an urgent need to do something in the present and future tenses. For the past tense here we need to use the modal verbs "Need to" and "Have to"
3. The modal verb "Must" can be used to express advices in the present and future tenses. For the past tense here we need to use "Should have V3"
4. The modal verb "Must" can be used to express external obligation (laws and rules) in the present and future tenses. For the past tense here we need to use the modal verb "Have to"
5. The modal verb "Must" can be used to express prohibition in the present and future tenses. For the past tense here we need to use modal structures like "to be not allowed to"
6. The modal verb "Must" with perfect infinitives can ONLY be used to express a high chance that something happened in the past. For example, "He must have eaten his ice-cream"

[fierce viper]

Guys, i really have a doubt in that.
Why is: "LovING you is easy 'cause you're beatiful" in that song? Why not: "LovE you is easy"?

Someone to explain to me? I am a Brazilian, and sometimes I see this kinda of thing in English.

[molten dagger]

I have a big ask. I’m fluent in English but I have very bed reading comprehension and for my class we have to read 3 essays and answer questions about them. I really need help to answer some of the questions I’m having a very hard time understanding them.

If you have a lot of time on your hands or even a little I could really use some help please DM me if you can 🙏

[vivid venture]

Hello. I have a couple of questions for you.

1. How to use "own" in English? Ex. What's the difference between "This is my car." and "This is my own car."?
2. How to use "its" in English?
   Thank you for your answer.

[native flare]

I believe, when you say “this is my own car.” it adds meaning to it that you’re the one who bought it. Versus when you say “this is my car” it means you own this car but you may or may not be the one who bought it.

[little perch]

We can use the modal verb "Must" to express prohibition. I have a few questions about that:

1. Can we use "Mustn't" in this case? For example, "You mustn't eat a lot of сhocolate, it's bad for your teeth". Does "Mustn't" sound more informal in that sentence?
2. Can we make question with not in this case? For example, "Must I not eat a lot of chocolate, or is it not bad for my teeth?" If so, can we use "Mustn't" here? For example, "Mustn't I eat a lot of chocolate, or is it bad for my teeth?"

[devout crystal]

Hello everyone. I am a college student and I am struggling with reading comprehension and also writing essays. I feel very disappointed and I want to do something about it. Can anyone recommend sites on grammar and comprehension stuff? Also what can I do to improving my reading skills?

[grizzled ermine]

I don't understand when use "being"

[sleek fjord]

Newsela – Offers current event articles at five different reading levels, plus multiple-choice quizzes for comprehension. Good for all levels. (Free, requires signup)

Dreamreader – Free site with 500+ reading lessons, audio, printable worksheets, and quizzes for various levels.

[devout crystal]

Then you so much, I will look into this

[sleek fjord]

as advice, you could try analyzing sentence per sentence, and translating to your native language, trying to search for an equivalent meaning. at least for the parts of the text that are a bit unfamiliar

[devout crystal]

Ok thank you very much!

[sleek fjord]

it comes from the verb to "be", if you say beING then it refers to the present continuous of the behavior of something, "you are being annoying" means that in this range of time you keep the annoying behavior. so in one sense, it essentially can describe current behavior or another adjective

[true briar]

How to use "ever" in English?

[rare halo]

Here are definitions of ever from Oxford Languages:

1. at any time. "nothing ever seemed to ruffle her"
   used in comparisons for emphasis. "they felt better than ever before"
2. at all times; always. "ever the man of action, he was impatient with intellectuals"
3. increasingly; constantly. "having to borrow ever larger sums"
4. used for emphasis in questions and other remarks, expressing astonishment or outrage. "who ever heard of a grown man being frightened of the dark?"

[devout crystal]

Hey Nori, are you able to provide the links to these two websites. I was unable to find them, and was lead to strange websites.

[devout crystal]

Thank you, I will try this as well.

[flat rune]

When we can use "would" in a sentence!

[celest condor]

Would is similar to will. Will refers to future actions, would mostly refers to hypotheticals or past commitments.
"I would love to go dancing" (in the future I will love to go dancing)
Or it can refer to a past commitment or promise
"I said I would go to the event this weekend" (I said I will go to the event this weekend)

[night isle]

Hi

[flat rune]

Thank you! 🙂

[lyric nexus]

@blazing hull Your getting hacked

[tame nimbus]

what is the meaning of "gooner",someone said i am a gooner,i know it is not a good word but i dont know what it means

[gilded solar]

oh

ummm

(am i allowed to explain this)

[flint wyvern]

I want someone suggest to me the best book for improving my vocabulary

[crisp elm]

Hellow, whats is it "by the way"? I know it is a slang, but... for me, this don't make sense!

[loud tangle]

it's a phrase for when u wanna add extra info about something usually off topic to a convo

its just like if you were to say "oh and also.."

"ill see you tomorrow. by the way, did you talk to your mom?"

[crisp elm]

Ok! Thanks

[little perch]

Can we use "Mayn't've" instead of "May not have"?

[leaden copper]

No, you cannot contract “may” and “not”

[little perch]

What about "Mayn't" or "May've"?

[leaden copper]

Mayn’t: see my above message
May’ve: It’s unnatural to see in writing but it’s more acceptable verbally

[little perch]

okay

[crimson hearth]

Jenny, Mary, Hilary and Kate all wanted to take the math class as well as the English tutoring session, but all of their schedules conflicted with the dates and times offered and they are not sure what to do. Just curious is this a run on sentence or is a correct sentence

[rapid ingot]

I have not used this channel for a while ever since chatgpt was invented

[little perch]

sometimes you just need information straight from natives
I guess that what this channel is for

[rare halo]

to me it's a correct sentence
i'm not sure

[heavy urchin]

Yes, this is a run on sentence. You would place a period after "offered" and have "They are not sure what to do." as its own sentence. As the first sentence just would be about the classes offered and not their feelings about it.

If you'd like to keep it as one sentence you can write: "Jenny, Mary, Hilary, and Kate all wanted to take the math class as well as the English tutoring session, not sure what to do, as all of their schedules conflicted with the dates and times offered." In my opinion, sentences like this which contain complementary concepts are fine to use if your intention is to be long winded. It just depends on your literary style.

[arctic sentinel]

I´ve a question , what would I need to reconstruct the audio ... I mean, for example, when someone sent you a bad quality audio on ENG or when someone yell at you far from you , you only can catch some words .

that´s i wanna learn but idk how

[heavy urchin]

lol 😅 I don’t think there is an easy fix for this. When it comes to bad quality audio or something far away, most of the time I only recognize what’s being said if I already heard the word or phrase being used before. This problem happens to me too when I try to talk to my grandmother on the phone in her native tongue, I wouldn’t catch something she said but my mother understands perfectly every time

If you have a recording or video that you don’t understand, there are various methods to generate subtitles that you can find if you search online

[leaden thunder]

if u also mean videos on media just use english cc

[little perch]

Can we use "Might've" / "May've" / "Must've" in questions? For example, "Might've/May've/Must've they completed the project by 2040?"

[tulip skiff]

I would say that it really depends on the context you’re using it since that when you talk with friends/family grammar rules basically crumble 💔

If you use that sentence though it would be in a formal situation, so it would be :

Must they have completed the project by 2040?

But this form is very unusual and you could settle for something more common like :

Do you reckon they might have completed […]?
Do you think they might have completed […]?

If you want to work on grammar based construction of phrases I would recommend watching/listening to theatrical representations and try to use maybe AI bots to compare the sentences in it with a more casual/modern way of saying it.

|| My answer is not absolute so it can be wrong, even though I don’t think it is, anyone willing to is highly suggested to correct me if thats the case!! ||

[little perch]

Oh thank you so much!

I'm aware that these sentences are unusual and unnatural, I was just trying to figure out if this is grammatically correct
But thanks for clarification!