Help with English

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

  1. Saint Valued Senior Member

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  3. Baldeee Valued Senior Member

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    It is a joining of "e" meaning picture and "moji" meaning letter or character.
    Both are from the Japanese language.

    Some might think that it is a playful shortening of the English version "emoticon" which is a portmanteau of emotion and icon, but the similarity is purely coincidental.
     
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  5. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    flak = criticism
    Flak is not an original English word?
     
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  7. Baldeee Valued Senior Member

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    Flak comes from an abbreviation of the German word for an anti-aircraft gun.
    It then became the word for the explosives and shrapnel that those guns fired (in an attempt to damage the aircraft) - so the pilots would talk of there being a lot of flak in the air that they had to fly through.

    After the war it then began to pick up the metaphoric sense of criticism, probably first in the US.
     
  8. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    "in one time" or "at one time"?
    I can do all work in/at one time.
     
  9. Baldeee Valued Senior Member

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    At one time.
    Although you should probably say: I can do all the/my work at the same time.
    Or you could say: I can do all my work in one go.
     
  10. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    The scope/scopes of topics covered in the test is/are kinematics of particles and kinetics of particles.
    Plural or singular?
     
  11. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Scope: singular. (there is only one scope)
    Are: plural. (there are multiple topics)

    The scope of topics covered in the test are kinematics of particles and kinetics of particles.
     
  12. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    Why in English, ''Álthough..................but'' is wrong?
    In Chinese, we say '' Although I am short but I can jump very high''.
     
  13. Michael 345 New year. PRESENT is 72 years oldl Valued Senior Member

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    I would consider the second "I" redundant along with some other parts of the sentence

    I am short but can jump very high

    Although short I can jump very high


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  14. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Although contains an implicit but, so, as Michael says, the but is redundant.

    The closest correct phraseology would be "Although I am short I can jump very high."
     
  15. geordief Valued Senior Member

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    What about "Although I am short,yet I can jump very high." ?
     
  16. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Nope. As redundant as but.

    You'd say

    "I am short, yet I can jump very high."
     
  17. geordief Valued Senior Member

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    Could it be used in poetry/highfalutin prose?(I can't find any examples)
     
  18. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Oh, you could write it anyway you want; you could write it as a haiku. There's no actual grammar police.

    The question was about correct phraseology.
     
  19. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    Feel weird, in Chinese although must be used with but.
     
  20. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    English is also "weird" about double negatives. You're not supposed to say, "I didn't do nothing." You're supposed to say, "I didn't do anything," or "I did nothing."
     
  21. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    Oneself and myself means the same thing?
     
  22. Baldeee Valued Senior Member

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    No.
    Well, only if you're a monarch.

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    Consider the statement: "one can do it oneself".
    "One" in this instance is roughly synonymous with "a person" (in general - i.e. a non-specific individual).
    When you use "one" you would use "oneself"
    If you used "a person", however, then you would say "a person can do it themself".

    If you were referring specifically to yourself then you would say "I can do it myself".
    If you were referring specifically to the person you're talking to you would say "you can do it yourself" etc.


    The only time "oneself" is synonymous with "myself" is when using "one" to refer yourself, but this is usually only done by monarchs (Queen Elizabeth II uses it).
    For example, Queen Victoria is famous for saying "One is not amused" when referring to herself.
    There may be a few people who consider themselves in the upper echelons of society that use it, but it is pretentious if you're not actual royalty.
    I find it is almost as bad as people referring to themself in the third person, such as when Trump says "Trump is going to do this!"
     
  23. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Well said.
     
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