Messages

1

English & Linguistics / Hours-ours

« on: December 05, 2004, 09:32:17 AM »

I forget what it's called when an adjective stands in the for noun phrase in which it would appear.  Maybe "ours" is more likely to have two syllables in that case.  Or it may just be whether the word is being stressed within the sentence- which is more likely to be the case when it is used to represent a noun.  

2

English & Linguistics / What the heck is a fever chart?

« on: December 05, 2004, 09:25:23 AM »

The original post quote made sense to me.  Though it wouldn't necessarily grab my interest.

3

English & Linguistics / Verdigris

« on: December 05, 2004, 09:23:10 AM »

It's possible.  Readers get books from libraries or steal them from their parents.  People who buy new books are frequently buying gifts.  90 seems a bit high.

But it applies insofar as I bet 90% of junk food is bought by people who are currently trying to lose weight.

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English & Linguistics / *cries*

« on: December 02, 2004, 03:24:10 PM »

My mnemonic for this is quite elaborate.  That is, I had an ex boyfriend who called the food mart the mood fart.  One time I thought it would sound more erudite to call it the affectation flatulation.  And that's how I remember that affect is a noun meaning mood.  If it is a noun and doesn't mean mood, it must be effect.

I also mentally pronounce "cause and effect" with an e sound so that helps.  And "effect change in the system" though it's with a short instead of a long e.

P.S.  I thought it was going to be whether you should say temperature change or temperature changes
 

5

English & Linguistics / A linguistic survey

« on: November 26, 2004, 10:05:29 AM »

By the way, I nullify FLR because we grew up in the same households (more so than my other sibs, even).

However one of these households was with a dude who thought the thing you put a hot pan on is called a "travis".

6

English & Linguistics / A linguistic survey

« on: November 23, 2004, 11:21:11 AM »

"Piper solo!"
...
"We have a piper down.  I repeat, a piper is down.  Don't worry, he's just pished."

7

English & Linguistics / A linguistic survey

« on: November 22, 2004, 03:14:26 PM »

"Logically" only the second makes sense, because all means each and every.  

The only reading that makes the first possible is if "n't" (not) commands "all" and not "were".  

But the way it is commonly used in speech, "n't" does command "all".

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English & Linguistics / A linguistic survey

« on: November 22, 2004, 02:14:39 PM »

all of them weren't

none of them were


I think the first meaning would be more clear with "Not ALL of them were".  I guess with the right inflection it could make sense.  But parsing it logically, the second choice seemed obvious.  I grew up in Virginia and moved to Utah at 17.

"All of them weren't broken."

"All of them weren't green."

"All of them weren't hungry."

You know, I'm now having trouble thinking of it meaning what I voted for.

"All of them weren't going to St. Ives."

9

English & Linguistics / Verdigris

« on: November 22, 2004, 02:09:42 PM »

Should I feel like a cretin

I believe they prefer to be called Cretians.

I would not have known what the word verdigris meant without this thread.  Everything I ever need to know I learned on GalacticCactus.

10

English & Linguistics / Verdigris

« on: November 20, 2004, 07:14:16 AM »

Greece doesn't have a corner on bronzework?  How about just really old bronzework that people are interested in collecting during the era when France was inventing all the cool words?

11

English & Linguistics / Quote of the Day

« on: November 13, 2004, 06:45:55 AM »

I wonder if they thought it was some special math terminology and were afraid to display their ignorance by challenging it.  You know, after that normal vector fiasco.  

12

English & Linguistics / What part of speech is "water" . . .

« on: November 04, 2004, 10:45:16 AM »

:hail:  Jon Boy.

I didn't even think of the inflection test for part of speech.  Well, I almost had it, as the term "watering can" was floating around in my head.  But I couldn't get it to make sense.

Have I been off hatrack for a week, even?  I was just thinking last night when I made super member that it hadn't taken me very long.

13

English & Linguistics / Word of the day

« on: October 29, 2004, 04:24:17 PM »

Oh, okay a spanish infinitive.  I thought it was mole-star.  Which makes me think of the star nosed mole.  :squick shiver:

Oh, and Icarus, I had two really good teachers in high school.  But one was definitely into throwing off the shackles that he was sure our small-minded parents had raised us with.  The other only taught school for fun because he had some independent source of wealth.  I had some really bad teachers- one apparently never graded our papers.  What ticked me off was a hornlock we got into over whether I had to turn one if, if I knew full well she was never going to return it.  Looking back, I can imagine she probably dreaded it knowing how juvenile they would be.

Oh, and one of my essays killed the hippy history teacher.  He had an ulcer rupture while he was reading it and was declared clinically dead.  I got an F on that one.

14

English & Linguistics / Word of the day

« on: October 29, 2004, 04:14:23 PM »

What does molestar mean?

15

English & Linguistics / Word of the day

« on: October 29, 2004, 11:13:44 AM »

Why isn't vermillion a shade of green?