Help with English

Discussion in 'Linguistics' started by Saint, Aug 24, 2011.

  1. geordief Valued Senior Member

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    "keen on studying "would work though.
     
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  3. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    I'll take your word for it, but I've never heard an American speak that way.
     
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  5. geordief Valued Senior Member

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    Yes,very common over here.
     
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  7. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    You have to refrain from smoking to prevent cancer.

    Does it mean to stop smoking at all or reduce smoking?
     
  8. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    Collateral in financial world means what?
    How does it enable the investors to make money?
     
  9. Michael 345 New year. PRESENT is 72 years oldl Valued Senior Member

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    I was of the understanding line in the sand was the start line in a race.

    ie we all start from the same place, equal.
     
  10. Sarkus Hippomonstrosesquippedalo phobe Valued Senior Member

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    Nope.

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    That would be more like simply a starting line.
     
  11. Sarkus Hippomonstrosesquippedalo phobe Valued Senior Member

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    Collateral is another term for a type of asset acting as security for a loan. If you offer security for a loan then you should be able to get a much larger loan and at a cheaper rate - because if you default then the lender can take ownership of the security to recoup their money.
    If I went to the bank to ask for an unsecured loan they may only offer me $10,000 at c.15% interest - much like a credit card.
    If I went to the same bank and asked for a loan secured by collateral of $1m then they may offer me $800k at 4% interest or so - because if I defaulted they would take ownership of the $1m asset and sell it off to recoup their money.

    The asset in this case would be considered collateral.
    In general the process helps investors release money tied up in assets, freeing up cash at a lower interest rate than they can make it earn, so making them money.
     
  12. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    To refrain from doing something means to not do it at all, ever.
    Sarkus's explanation is correct. The most common example is the purchase of a house. The bank loans you the money to pay the seller, and you take out a mortgage, which gives the bank the legal right to take the house away from you if you stop making the monthly payments. In this case, the house is the collateral.
    Oddly enough, this phrase has two meanings that are quite similar, yet almost the opposite of each other.
    • 1. In one case, when you draw a line in the sand, it is a limit, beyond which you will never go.
    • 2. In the other case, when you draw a line in the sand, you have made a choice to take an action, make a move, etc., and never go back.
     
  13. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    Vestibule is what?
     
  14. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    I wish I could have chance to go to Canada for holiday/holidays.

    plural?
    Is this sentence well written?
     
  15. Michael 345 New year. PRESENT is 72 years oldl Valued Senior Member

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    • Holiday - go once
    • Holidays - multiple times
    Humpty Dumpty organising holiday for Easter in Bali. Have had many holidays there. May pick a new hotel for this holiday.
    Poe not decided yet

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  16. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    A vestibule is a small room used primarily as a passageway. For example, it might be just inside an exterior door, where people can walk in and hang up their warm clothes, umbrellas, etc.

    Railroad trains also have vestibules. If you want to go from one car to another, you will pass through a vestibule. When you close the door you came through, you will not affect the heating or the air conditioning in the car you left.
    In American English, we use the word "vacation" to mean a week or two (or perhaps longer) when we don't have to go to work. We can then leave home and go somewhere else to enjoy the scenery, the weather, the sports, cultural events, food, museums, etc.

    The British call this a "holiday." I believe that the Australians and New Zealanders also use the word this way.

    In both the USA and the U.K., the plural form "holidays" refers to the Christmas season, with all the parties, banquets and other forms of merriment. Christmas Day and New Year's Day are legal holidays when we do not have to go to work, but we call the whole time of the year "the holidays," even if we spend most of the time at work.

    We also have other holidays which are only one day, such as Thanksgiving, Independence Day, and President's Day.

    In the Jewish community, the phrase "High Holidays" refers to either Rosh Hashanah, Hebrew for "New Year," or Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, a very solemn day which is celebrated, but not with parties and merriment.
     
  17. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    vouch for = guarantee
    I vouched for my son to take him to Disney Land if he scores 5 A in his examination.
    Correct?
     
  18. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    Fraggle, how about "off day"?
    Can I say:
    I will take 2 days off starting tomorrow and every job matter will be referred to my subordinate Mr. John during my absence.

    Correct?
     
  19. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    No. To vouch for someone is to reassure a third party that you trust him. For example, the school will take all of the senior students to Disneyland next Wednesday, so long as they will all have completed their science projects by then. In this case, you might say, "I will vouch for my son. He has promised to complete his project. I have seen it and it's obvious that it will be easily completed by Wednesday."
    This is correct, but you have not used the phrase "off day."

    An off day is not the same as a day off, and in fact it is quite different. An "off day" is a day when you can't seem able to perform your work as fast or as accurately as you normally do. The most common reason is that you're sick. But you might be distracted by bad news: a dear friend is in the hospital; you forgot to lock your gate and now your dog is missing; you took your car in for a tune-up and the mechanic told you that he needs to overhaul the engine; Donald Trump won the election.

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  20. Michael 345 New year. PRESENT is 72 years oldl Valued Senior Member

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    Yeah
     
  21. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    Accolade is an honor title?
     
  22. luis131 Registered Member

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    Yup, or an award, recognition, or praise. For example, the nobel prize is an accolade given to a person who has done a remarkable feat.
     
  23. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    The demand for/of oil is expected to reduce in the future when more solar energy is being used.

    for or of?
     

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