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Mon 15 Apr, 2013 02:33 am
Quote:perhaps you know too well how to use allusions, metaphors, creative adjectives, and graceful expressions, or even slangs, writing lengthy, flowing language to delight your English teacher's heart or demean someone elegantly, this is not the expertise I have acquired. besides, my only experience of studying abroad was a few years in Germany where German is the language for everyday communications. So make sure that you can feel in a way of superiority over those of us on issues of English language--we are far behind. Are you feeling better now?
@oristarA,
oristarA wrote:
Quote:(cap)(p)erhaps you know too well how to use allusions, metaphors, creative adjectives, and graceful expressions, or even (slangs)(not countable), writing lengthy, flowing language to delight your English teacher's heart or demean someone elegantly,(run-on) this is not the expertise I have acquired. (cap)(b)esides, my only experience of studying abroad was a few years in Germany (where German is the language for everyday communications)(redundant - too obvious). (So)(better to use a transition and a comma to start a sentence instead of a conjunction) make sure that you can feel (in a way of superiority)(wordy - "feel superior" is concise) over those of us on issues of English language--we are far behind. Are you feeling better now?
The original wasn't bad at all, oristarA. You might consider focusing on mechanics, particularly capitalization and comma use. Also, if you plan to do English for academic writing in the future, you'll eventually need to work on conciseness. Hope that helps.
@oristarA,
oristarA wrote:
Quote:perhaps you know too well how to use allusions, metaphors, creative adjectives, and graceful expressions, or even slangs, writing lengthy, flowing language to delight your English teacher's heart or demean someone elegantly, this is not the expertise I have acquired. besides, my only experience of studying abroad was a few years in Germany where German is the language for everyday communications. So make sure that you can feel in a way of superiority over those of us on issues of English language--we are far behind. Are you feeling better now?
I would write it as:
"Perhaps you know too well how to use allusions, metaphors, creative adjectives, and graceful expressions or even slang, writing lengthy, flowing language to delight your English teacher's heart or demean someone elegantly. This is not the expertise I have acquired. My only experience of studying abroad was for a few years in Germany where German is the language for everyday communications. You can feel superior over us on issues of English language--we are far behind. Are you feeling better now?"
@oristarA,
The word "slang" isn't countable when it's referring to individual expressions within a language. Notice the wiggly red line under the word when you type it in the plural: slangs. (It only shows up while you're typing your post, not after you've posted it.) That wiggly red line tells you that it's wrong. The link you posted takes me to a site that looks like it was written by a non-native speaker. You might check on that. If that's the case, you might consider referencing ESL/EFL websites written by native English speakers.
@engineer,
engineer wrote:
oristarA wrote:
Quote:perhaps you know too well how to use allusions, metaphors, creative adjectives, and graceful expressions, or even slangs, writing lengthy, flowing language to delight your English teacher's heart or demean someone elegantly, this is not the expertise I have acquired. besides, my only experience of studying abroad was a few years in Germany where German is the language for everyday communications. So make sure that you can feel in a way of superiority over those of us on issues of English language--we are far behind. Are you feeling better now?
I would write it as:
"Perhaps you know too well how to use allusions, metaphors, creative adjectives, and graceful expressions or even slang, writing lengthy, flowing language to delight your English teacher's heart or demean someone elegantly. This is not the expertise I have acquired. My only experience of studying abroad was
for a few years in Germany where German is the language for everyday communications. You can feel superior over us on issues of English language--we are far behind. Are you feeling better now?"
Thank you Engineer.
Any one would like to confirm whether we can omit "for" there?
@FBM,
FBM wrote:
The word "slang" isn't countable when it's referring to individual expressions within a language. Notice the wiggly red line under the word when you type it in the plural: slangs. (It only shows up while you're typing your post, not after you've posted it.) That wiggly red line tells you that it's wrong. The link you posted takes me to a site that looks like it was written by a non-native speaker. You might check on that. If that's the case, you might consider referencing ESL/EFL websites written by native English speakers.
I've tried several times and found no wiggly red line. Perhaps you type it in Microsoft Word, not here?
@oristarA,
No, here. In this window, BEFORE I hit "Reply," if I type "slangs" I see a wiggly red line under it. It disappears after I hit "Reply." The line does appear in Word, too, though. I've corrected my Korean students thousands of times over the past 15 years about it.
@oristarA,
oristarA wrote:
I've tried several times and found no wiggly red line. Perhaps you type it in Microsoft Word, not here?
Many browsers (including mine, Firefox), have spell checking on text entered e.g. into forum reply dialogs.
Within a language, 'slang' is uncountable. We can't say 'He used three slangs in his sentence.' We have to say something like 'He used three slang expressions in his sentence.'
However, when we're speaking collectively, it's possible to use it as a count noun. The English language has one (collective) slang form, German has its own, French has a slang form unique to it, etc. If we want to talk collectively about the various slang versions of various languages, we could use the word 'slangs,' but it's awkward and few people choose to do so. It's more comfortable and natural to add a countable term after the word 'slang,' as I have done above: slang form, slang expression, slang word, etc.
@oristarA,
The 'for' is not needed, but I think it is more commonly used than omitted.
@oristarA,
Quote:Slang is language at its most informal, using expressions that many would consider to be grammatically imperfect and sometimes rude.
Slang has absolutely nothing to do with grammar. Slang is grammatical from the moment it is first used.
What it points up is the genius of the human mind and that change in language comes from speech.
@FBM,
FBM wrote:
Within a language, 'slang' is uncountable. We can't say 'He used three slangs in his sentence.' We have to say something like 'He used three slang expressions in his sentence.'
However, when we're speaking collectively, it's possible to use it as a count noun. The English language has one (collective) slang form, German has its own, French has a slang form unique to it, etc. If we want to talk collectively about the various slang versions of various languages, we could use the word 'slangs,' but it's awkward and few people choose to do so. It's more comfortable and natural to add a countable term after the word 'slang,' as I have done above: slang form, slang expression, slang word, etc.
Excellent!
@McTag, Joe Nation, JTT, JPB, Contrex, Roger, Engineer et al ... Please help to confirm the part in green above.
@oristarA,
Happy to confirm that. Also, glad to see FBM participating.
@roger,
Quote:Also, glad to see FBM participating.
It is nice to see him, and you, get something right once in a while, Rog.
@JTT,
JTT wrote:
Quote:Also, glad to see FBM participating.
It is nice to see him, and you,
get something right once in a while, Rog.
As you said to me once: Don't you believe Roger, JTT? (Of course when you said to me: Ori).
@roger,
roger wrote:
Happy to confirm that. Also, glad to see FBM participating.
Thanks, roger. I've found that it helps to be a second or foreign language learner if you're going to be a decent second or foreign language teacher. It helps you sympathize with the learners and see your language from their L1 perspective.
@oristarA,
Roger gets the odd thing right, Ori, no doubt about it. FBM too, but you have to understand that he, like Roger, was raised in system that was god awful when it came to describing how language actually works - grammar, fuhgeddaboudit.
@JTT,
JTT wrote:
Roger gets the odd thing right, Ori, no doubt about it. FBM too, but you have to understand that he, like Roger, was raised in system that was god awful when it came to describing how language actually works - grammar, fuhgeddaboudit.
Well. A question here: How to remember the slang word: fuhgeddaboudit?
Its spelling is indeed god awful and hard to remember.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fuhgeddaboudit
@oristarA,
Quote:Well. A question here: How to remember the slang word: fuhgeddaboudit?
That's easy. fuh-ged-da-bou-dit
Say it fast.
Quote:Its spelling is indeed god awful [and] hard to remember.
It, like many words, is a word of speech. I actually looked it up myself, Ori.
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