Series of question about English

Language is always changing, each year many neologisms appear in English, I'm wondering if a native English speaker would have problem of understanding new words? How do you get the meaning of new words? Or did you ever encounter any new words that was even hard for you to figure out its meaning?

0 Replies

quiet sunshine wrote:

Language is always changing, each year many neologisms appear in English, I'm wondering if a native English speaker would have problem of understanding new words? How do you get the meaning of new words? Or did you ever encounter any new words that was even hard for you to figure out its meaning?

New words added to a language are no different than new words that people come across as they grow up, Quiet Sunshine. If the context is rich enough, a one time exposure is often enough to grasp the meaning.

Maybe that's hard to see and understand when you study English as a second language but it's the same for people in all languages. We all acquire an extensive vocabulary [in our own language] without ever checking a dictionary. Such is the power of real language used in real contexts.

0 Replies

JTT wrote:

If the context is rich enough, a one time exposure is often enough to grasp the meaning.

Oh, yeah, once is enough. Very Happy

Quote:

Maybe that's hard to see and understand when you study English as a second language but it's the same for people in all languages. We all acquire an extensive vocabulary [in our own language] without ever checking a dictionary. Such is the power of real language used in real contexts.

Ur, I made a foolish question, I'm totally agree with you. Hmm, that shouldn't aim at native English speakers, may be I should ask is there any rule to make it easier for English learners to figure out the meaning of new words? Would it be helpful if knowing some knowledge about word formation?

0 Replies

quiet sunshine wrote:

JTT wrote:

Quote:
Maybe that's hard to see and understand when you study English as a second language but it's the same for people in all languages. We all acquire an extensive vocabulary [in our own language] without ever checking a dictionary. Such is the power of real language used in real contexts.

Ur, I made a foolish question, I ['m] totally agree with you. Hmm, that shouldn't aim at native English speakers, maybe I should ask is there any rule to make it easier for English learners to figure out the meaning of new words? Would it be helpful if knowing some knowledge about word formation?

There are many rules that we all have within our brains that tell use what words are possible in a given spot in a sentence, QS. You've obviously acquired a large number of these rules because your choice of words and word placement is very good.

I think that the best thing for you would be to continue reading varied materials and listening to as much English as you can.

Here's a site where you can view free news videos.

http://www.cnn.com/video/

These are short news video clips on many different topics.

0 Replies

Sorry not sure what topic this falls under...

Anyways, I was just wondering if this sentence made sense...

Oh and about hoisin sauce even though it's fat free, since it has sugar would it still be considered "fattening" since....

Well I know that's more of a casual/conversational sentence. Another point about that sentence is did I put the comma in the correct place. I was taught that commas should be put in the proper place when we take a "breath" in a sentence. And we would just have to know when those "stops" or a "breath" comes in (yeah, very effective teaching methods *said sarcastically).

I mean now look at where my English grammar stands at just by reading that sentence. I mean I just don't know when to put the comma in the proper place. Anyways any suggestions, thanks.

0 Replies

Today I read an article on a forum and I found the poster used this sentence in his post several times: man was it good. Why here the "was" was set in front of "it"? What's the difference in mood when compare with using "man it was good"?

0 Replies

Quiet Sunshine hi there I was just wondering do you know how to speak to Cantonese?

Yes I realize this is the English topic.... Something in English....

The verb tense of biodegradable = biodegrates?

0 Replies

Quote:

Today I read an article on a forum and I found the poster used this sentence in his post several times: man was it good. Why here the "was" was set in front of "it"? What's the difference in mood when compare with using "man it was good"?

This is an American slang idiom. I think - I'm not sure, maybe somebdy can correct me - that is is derived from German or Yiddish speech patterns. I would say that there is no actual difference in meaning from "man, it was good" but is it much more colloquial and of course American. Perhaps it should be avoided by non-American speakers - it can sound embarrassingly false when someone uses slang that is obviously not native to them.

Quote:

The verb tense of biodegradable = biodegrates?

No, it's "biodegrades"!

0 Replies

Cool, thanks syn.

0 Replies

syntinen wrote:

Perhaps it should be avoided by non-American speakers - it can sound embarrassingly false when someone uses slang that is obviously not native to them.

Thanks for the tip! Smile

AbleIIKnow_wong wrote:

Quiet Sunshine hi there I was just wondering do you know how to speak to Cantonese?

No, I can't speak Cantonese, nor can I understand it, our dialect is close to Shanghainese.

0 Replies

Oh okay that's cool then. Well it was a shot in the dark. Yeah I would've suspected Mandrian actually. I've never actually heard of Shanghainese until I came to this forum, cool.

0 Replies

I have problem to understand the following sentence:

For all but the last six, I have done the work--all the tedious details that make the difference between victory and defeat on election day--while men reaped the rewards, which is almost invariably the lot of women in politics.

What does "the lot" mean here? Anyone could help? Thanks!

0 Replies

"wine and dine" & "dine and wine", which is correct? Or both are correct?

0 Replies

quiet sunshine wrote:

I have problem to understand the following sentence:

For all but the last six, I have done the work--all the tedious details that make the difference between victory and defeat on election day--while men reaped the rewards, which is almost invariably the lot of women in politics.

What does "the lot" mean here? Anyone could help? Thanks!

Lot, means "a number of associated people or things". The lot, in this context, means the group of women (who are associated to each other by their role in politics).

0 Replies

quiet sunshine wrote:

"wine and dine" & "dine and wine", which is correct? Or both are correct?

"Wine and dine" is the more common collocation. "Dine and wine" is not incorrect but it would sound odd in American and, I presume, British English.

0 Replies

quiet sunshine wrote:

I have problem to understand the following sentence:

For all but the last six, I have done the work--all the tedious details that make the difference between victory and defeat on election day--while men reaped the rewards, which is almost invariably the lot of women in politics.

What does "the lot" mean here? Anyone could help? Thanks!

I am sorry - but the previous person to answer your question has answered it incorrectly.

"The lot of" in this context means, roughly, "the fate of" or "the destiny of".

It comes from a means of making a random decision - called casting, or taking, lots:

lot [lɑt /lɒt]

v. divide; allocate

n. object used in making a random decision; act of randomly deciding by casting lots; portion; fate, destiny, fortune;

lot [lɑt /lɒt]

v. divide; allocate

n. object used in making a random decision; act of randomly deciding by casting lots; portion; fate, destiny, fortune;

Examples of this include things like, putting straws in a receptacle, and having one short one, the drawer of which has to perform some unpleasant task, or sacrifice themselves in some way.

Another example would be the way - during the Vietnam war, when we had conscription - my country decided which of the eligible young men would have to go into the army.

Each boy was assigned a number, and a little ball with everyone's number on it, was placed in a machine which drew thm at random, until the number of required people for that draft was reached.

Many lotteries are drawn in the same way - see the connection to "lot" and fate and destiny?

The writer means that her work was undervalued, as she believes is the norm for women involved in the political process.

0 Replies

dlowan wrote:

I am sorry - but the previous person to answer your question has answered it incorrectly.

You are quite correct, dlowan. I'm afraid I didn't read that passage too well. Thanks for your correction.

0 Replies

Can I ask a question as well?

When a waitress serves a customer something to eat (dinner, a piece of cake), what does she say? In French, you'd say "bon appetit", I suppose, in Dutch "eet smakelijk", in Hungarian "jo etvagyat". I dont think there is something like that in English, or am I hallucinating? If it's a drink that's served, I suppose a jovial barman would say "cheers", just like here they say "egeszegedre" - but something to eat?

0 Replies

Nowadays they seem to say 'Enjoy your meal', but I've never heard a barman say 'cheers' or anything like that.

0 Replies

In the States, the waitress might be likely to say, "y'all want some ketchup with that?"

0 Replies

Series of question about English

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know