Re: True English

MurielB Lun 26 Juin - 23:02

solidarity is better than personal skills !

gerardM Ven 14 Juil - 11:06

MurielB a écrit:solidarity is better than personal skills !

... depends Muriel.

gerardM Ven 14 Juil - 11:11

A message from my American friend Susan:

Susan H
A downpour yesterday and today, blink and gone but better than nothing. Magpies came to celebrate.

I post this because I never noticed "downpour" tho' it doesn't surprise me.

"Down" is a handy particle:
- sometimes with a true meaning of direction ("go down the hill")
- sometimes "useless" ie not translated ("go down to London")
- also used as a kind of prefix associated with several words ("downpour, down payment, down-and-out" - ie merged, with a hyphen, with a space...) to create nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs...

MurielB Ven 14 Juil - 17:03

Instead of downpour would you have written shower?

gerardM Ven 14 Juil - 17:21

MurielB a écrit:Instead of downpour would you have written shower?

No Muriel.
A "downpour" is a heavy rain while a "shower" is a light one.

~~Synonyms~~ Words of the area of downpour: cloudburst, deluge, rain, rainstorm, storm, wet, torrent, monsoon, inundation

MurielB Ven 14 Juil - 17:29

Ok Tx

gerardM Ven 14 Juil - 17:53

Welcome.

gerardM Dim 16 Juil - 14:30

Hi everyone,

Steph M, Dubaï, United Arab Emirates ·
Looking for a spare room to rent in London (preferably sensible distance from Holborn) for 3 months from beginning of September. If anyone knows anyone looking for a tenant - let me know!
...
Charlotte E - Claire S Lizzy C Catherine R Kristina M Layla Al-N if you guys know anyone who wants the best housemate for 3 months?
Ruaraidh McK - Pamela? Know of anything/anyone?
Aisling G - Lucy D is your room still for rent

This message was started by my niece; watch the community and help in the English-speaking world.
> if you guys know anyone
I post this to confirm that "guy" is used for girls as well.

A normal use would be "guy" for a boy, "gale" for a girl... but nowadays "guy" is used for both (not "gale" for boy), Kay?

gerardM Dim 16 Juil - 17:07

Things look good!

After a few minutes from the initial request. Smile

Lucy D - Yes, one person interested but not committed 100% yet we are in London fields, Liverpool Street is 9mins on the train and Holborn on the central line from there. Message me if you'd like to view the room Steph xx
Steph M - Lucy D thanks Lucy. I'll be in London in August so will be in touch then if still available! Xx

Note:
- "on the train"
- "if you'd like" ie if you would like
In your English classes, you were taught that in the if-clause, the conditional is not pemitted and replaced by a past (if you liked).
However, "if you would like" is an exception, an expression.
I had an argument with British people and especially with English teachers as I was stating I could often meet conditional in if-clauses from Americans.
- the efficiency of Facebook for this rent request.

gerardM Dim 16 Juil - 20:29

ctd

Lucy D - Ok no problem! Just message me xx

Krysha H - Best. News. EVER
Charlotte E - Can't wait for our reunion
Steph M - Clear your diary betch
Krysha H - Fanny packs at the ready girls
Charlotte E - Already packed...
Steph M - Charge up the lesbo cam

I'm not sure the messages should not stay private Evil or Very Mad

Anyway "Just message me". As soon as there's no ambiguity, a noun can easily be adopted as a verb: no need for "Just send me a message".

> I'm not sure the messages should not stay private Evil or Very Mad

Steph usually keeps her messages "private"... she changed to "public" to send her request to more people, permit sharing with a bunch of friends... Steph apparently didn't realize she forgot to reset to "private".
LOL

Euriell Mer 19 Juil - 16:37

[quote="gerardM"]Hi Muriel ! :-)

~~

Damn! Second time I meet the same "error" on Facabook (don't know if it's the same guy)!!

Yay! My new Metro business cards have arrived, there's nine in total each one with a different Windows troubleshooting or help tip on the back

Would anyonyone tell me it's correct nowadays? I really don't like!! Sad

I guess it's as when people say in French "C'est des croissants!"...It makes your ears bleed...But then, it can just be a simple mistake because when people write, especially on social network (probably mostly using smartphones), they tend not to pay much attention. Or it could be a lack of education, if the person doesn't know the rules. You can know the rules and think "can't be bothered!", or not know it.
It's the same in many songs where they will for instance write everybody, and the plural instead of third person sing. for the verb.

gerardM Mer 19 Juil - 17:07

Hi Euriell,

> there's nine in total
No, according to me, this is not correct yet Wink

I also wince when I read this.

Now keyboard writing is so easy that sometimes it makes mistakes easier... when reading again a sentence we think another expression would be better but we forget to read the entire sentence and a mistake can be made.

In songs, especially blues, we can too often hear double negatives: "I don't love you no more" (unless it is "You don't love me nomore" - I guess by Louis Armstrong) Sad

but I had to realize this specific mistake is common street language for certain groups of American people.

~~ edit
Here's Sandie Shaw -> https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4hqwf7?GK_FACEBOOK_OG_HTML5=1

gerardM Mer 19 Juil - 20:44

Something I accept with difficulties is the "that" with persons: "a guy that old me Hello this morning".

~~ edit
... and also the "who" for objects like in "The Spy, sorry, The Fridge Who Loved Me".

I guess it's the first time I meet who with an object... scratch

Is it because of "spy" who usually is a person?

gerardM Jeu 20 Juil - 10:21

Another message on Facebook:

Cathy F
Had a girls night out with my bestie Theresa. We had some truly great food and hung out for a while. Was really awesome! If y'all have not been to Gojo Japanese Steak House down by the plaza, and you happen to like Hibachi-type Japanese steakhouse style yumminess, then get your butt over there and try it. It was DIVINE... and reasonably priced! I don't get impressed by restaurants often, but yeah, it was quite an experience. I'm still full.... and it's time for bed.

Cathy is a friend of mine. In fact she was born in Quebec (I don't think it's important for the message) but married an American rather young and went to the US so many years ago (I'd say a decade) that she prefers to write to me in English. I guess she left Quebec and her family after having had a baby-daughter she met about 3 years ago, after say 15 years. She's now a widow and in addition her mother died a couple years ago. I'd say she's now 35... rather fragile...

I let you appreciate the words; we don't have to judge, just take this for real street American.

NB: Again, I like Facebook as I can find there everyday's language.

gerardM Jeu 20 Juil - 17:14

Conversation on Facebook between a few friends of mine...
Linda posted a photo with sprinklers on a public lawn and as it's very warm, it's tempting to go on to that lawn and take advantage of this cool water while jogging in the morning.

I think that Linda didn't understand the double-entendre scratch

I guess Don might be a policeman (I know he's a veteran).

Linda L - We're getting ready for another very warm day.
If I run through these sprinklers tomorrow morning, will the police show up?
Don H - Depends on how you do it. If you do it clothed or in a swim suit, you might be asked to move along. If you go streaking thru them, I am sure you will be arrested.
Linda L - Streaking? Hell no!
Kenneth W - That's right, it's to hot to be running so just take a slow stroll....lol!
Linda L - If I time it early enough I can hit the sidewalk sprinklers, but I was too late today. These just looked so tempting.

Well.
Don is writing about clothed/swim suit, then streaking (thru)

To streak thru is a phrasal verb meaning move very very fast (Fr traverser comme une flèche).
To streak also means (casual meaning among others) to run naked (Fr courir à poil); not forbidden to add the preposition thru,hence the ambiguity LOL naughty Don.
Don't confuse between preposition and postposition (NB postposition is used by linguists only, the common word being "particle").

Note the "hell no" to emphasize the no.
Note the verbs "to time" and "to clothe".

Again, I like Facebook which permits me to read true words between true people... impossible to get such conversation in school books, even from friends speaking to a foreigner.

MurielB Ven 21 Juil - 5:39

To streak thru is a phrasal verb meaning move very very fast (Fr traverser comme une flèche).
To streak also means (casual meaning among others) to run naked (Fr courir à poil); not forbidden to add the preposition thru,hence the ambiguity LOL naughty Don.

Very interesting. Tx Gerard

gerardM Sam 29 Juil - 20:20

I learned a new word today: zillion or zillions meaning millions and millions... I got zillions things to do.

MurielB Sam 29 Juil - 22:06

Hi Gérard i know you are a very busy person. As we live by the sea our grand children love to stay with us during the summer Holiday and we also have zillions of things to do Very Happy

Zillion is an extremely large, but not an exact, number:

gerardM Dim 13 Aoû - 14:40

Hi everyone,

A new word for me today: "matted".

(Cambridge) -> ADJECTIVE
definition: twisted into a firm, messy mass / example: Her hair was matted with mud and rain.

(Oxford) -> ADJECTIVE
1(especially of hair, wool, or fur) tangled into a thick mass.
‘a cardigan of matted grey wool’
More example sentencesSynonyms
2Covered or provided with mats.
‘the matted floor’
‘After the chairs got filled, some preferred to sit down on the matted floor, slouching against the wall with their eyes closed.’
‘He knew there were to be three tables of guests on each side of the matted dance floor.’
‘A wide, rectangular shaped room, the sparring grounds was lined with benches on the sides and a matted floor in the middle.’
‘The competition standard matted floor area is proving invaluable to the 135 gymnasts who train at the club every week.’
‘My bare feet padded quietly on the matted floor of woven straw.’

gerardM Dim 13 Aoû - 17:49

Couple words I better learned today Smile

Eyeglasses / glasses / spectacles / goggles

( https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/131075/eyeglasses-spectacles-goggles-and-glasses-but-in-which-order )
The word glasses probably developed firstly from the word spyglass, often used for a telescope, and then adapted to “a pair of eyeglasses” that needed to be held up to the eyes for full effect.

And on Etymology Online...
spectacles (n.) "glass lenses to help a person's sight," early 15c., from plural of spectacle.
goggles; "spectacles, protective eyeglasses," 1715;
glasses; "spectacles," 1660s, from plural of glass

(Word Reference)
* spectacles in AE is an old-fashioned word and now only used to be humorous
In AE glasses is the standard word for lunettes
the more precise word is eyeglasses
* I have to disagree. In the UK spectacles is still used today in spoken English, (I myself use it), albeit not as frequently as glasses.
* Americans prefer eyeglasses or glasses in short and British spectacles, but both are correct on either side of the Atlantic.
* Quite honestly if you said spectacles in the US without wanting to make a joke, you would leave people very bemused!
* We also use specs in AE as a slang word for glasses. But as stated before, spectacles is only used today in a humorous vein in AE.

PS The Wizard of Oz was written in 1900--so maybe spectacles was a common word in the US...110 years ago!

( https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/131075/eyeglasses-spectacles-goggles-and-glasses-but-in-which-order )
OED has the following first citations for the sense of lenses to alter vision:

spectacles: c1430
glasses: 1545
goggles: 1715
eye-glass: 1768
eyeglass n.
3b. In mod. use, a lens of glass or crystal for assisting defective sight. double eye-glass, (pair of) eyeglasses : two such lenses mounted side by side so as to assist the sight of both eyes; the name is by usage restricted to a pair of lenses to be held in the hand or kept in position by a spring on the nose; those which are secured by pieces of metal placed over the ears being called spectacles.

1768 T. Harmer in Philos. Trans. 1767 (Royal Soc.) 57 283, I have often found, by the help of an eye-glass, that..I passed over great multitudes of eggs.

gerardM Lun 21 Aoû - 17:58

If you need me during the eclipse I'll be outside looking through my spaghetti strainer on the sidewalk

I wonder what a spaghetti strainer is...
I wonder if a herbal tea strainer is good for the eclise in the US.

gerardM Lun 21 Aoû - 22:21

Howdy

Linda, who wrote previous message sent me this:

Wondering if I need to take the spaghetti out first.

No solar specs? Grab that colander! Five wacky ways to watch the Great American…[/size]
SUN-SENTINEL.COM

OK I called this a collander, I thought strainer was for ~~herbal tea~~ herb tea.

MurielB Lun 21 Aoû - 23:26

As I wasn't sure about the difference I have searched on the internet
http://www.thekitchn.com/strainer-colander-chinois-what-61828

MurielB Lun 21 Aoû - 23:28

We use these words (ok, maybe not chinois so much) interchangeably to describe something, usually metal, that holds solid ingredients while liquid passes through it. It's a strainer, a colander, a mesh thingy, whatever. In reality, there are differences, especially when it comes to that chinois...
A strainer is really a catchall name for any type of, well, strainer. It is usually fine mesh and bowl-shaped, good for rinsing a pint of berries or draining pasta.
A colander is typically a larger bowl-shaped strainer, often with bigger holes (although that's not always the case).

gerardM Lun 21 Aoû - 23:44

Thanks for your research Muriel.
So I see that, according to your explanations and according to what I'd in mind, what Linda calls a strainer is a colander.
I also see that the caption under the photo says "colander", not strainer as Linda was saying.
Now, is there a difference between American English (Linda is American) and British English?