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can a house burn up as it burns down, can one fill out a form by filling it in. If a vegetarian eats only vegetables, than what does a humanitarian eat?
The English language is one of the hardest languages for foreigners to learn because it is SO DARN SCREWY!!!
- 41 Replies
Why do you shut up, but quiet down?
Why is delivery by ship called cargo and delivery by car called shipment?
If pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of progress?
This wouldn't be the universal language if foreigners couldn't laugh on the inside while speaking it.
Ssh, those are the exact questions you are NOT supposed to ask.
Great, now he's going to be dragged away by the government. :/
I think it's because the English language came from many other languages, and yeah. I'm not in the mood for explaining right now.
can a house burn up as it burns down?
Of course it can, light a cigarette on top of a dry bamboo house on noon, the flames will rise.
can a house burn up as it burns down
It went up in flames and burnt down. What goes up must come down.
If a vegetarian eats only vegetables, than what does a humanitarian eat?
Suffix "arian" definition - "indicating a person or thing that advocates, believes, or is associated with something"
Makes sense to me.
The reason for english being so complicated isn't because of phrases, it's because of so many exception in grammatical rules.
Right, I'll try venturing into this territory without getting confused by the intricacies of linguistics.
If a vegetarian eats only vegetables, than what does a humanitarian eat?
Master beat me to the -arian suffix. Remember that the -arian suffix doesn't indicate what people eat. The reason why "Vegetarians" are people who abstain from eating animal products and humanitarians aren't people that eat humans, is because words are formed differently. In order to be acquainted with a language and its terms, you need personal knowledge of it. Same goes for other languages.
[quote=Wikipedia] [abridged] "The Vegetarian Society.... says that âvegetarianâ is derived from the Latin vegetus meaning lively or vigorous. Despite this, the Oxford English Dictionary and others state that the word was formed from the term "vegetable" and the suffix "-arian". The OED writes that the word came into general use after the formation of the Vegetarian Society in 1847......[/quote]
can a house burn up as it burns down
A house that collapses directly because and while a fire is burning, burns down. A house that catches fire with flames visible from the exterior is "burning up". At least that's the way I use it. That's what speaking English is for. Reading from a textbook won't teach you everything about a language.
Ssh, those are the exact questions you are NOT supposed to ask.
I'm not a linguist and I can answer some of those questions.
can one fill out a form by filling it in
This ought to provide some insight. This dilemma is easy once you wrap your head around it. The words both have the same meaning here, so it shouldn't destroy your mind. This reminds me of "on the team vs in the team". I once read something about a different between American and British English preferences.
The English language is one of the hardest languages for foreigners to learn because it is SO DARN SCREWY!!!
Subjective. Reading around forums a little, some people complain about English's orthography and the pronunciation of words. Others state that it's relatively easy compared to other languages (eg conjugation). Perhaps people from certain languages find it easier to learn English than others. Anyway, it all depends on the person.
Why do you shut up, but quiet down?
Google.
Why is delivery by ship called cargo and delivery by car called shipment?[/quote]
Google.
If pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of progress?
Google.
You guys are being far too analy... I don't think the word I was looking for exists, but you're being too scientific (?) with this.
I think the English language is based more on definition than on a system.
If every language was based off a system they would be more or less the same.
You guys are being far too analy... I don't think the word I was looking for exists, but you're being too scientific (?) with this.
Not quite... I'm approaching this in a very informal manner.
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
You know really the one that gets me is why we drive on parkways and park on driveways...
And the classic...
A blonde walks into a bar and says "Ow!"
Go ahead. Laugh.
You know really the one that gets me is why we drive on parkways and park on driveways.
We don't have parkways here. Darn, thanks for confusing me Walker.
A blonde walks into a bar and says "Ow!"
Is this remotely related to the conversation? Am I missing something here?
A blonde walks into a bar and says "Ow!"
That's a pun, not a weird mix up of words.
A blonde walks into a bar and says "Ow!"
Is this remotely related to the conversation? Am I missing something here?
Bar, as in a pole. Bar, as in something similar to a tavern, pub, etc.
When you say "Blonde walks into a bar..." it sounds like another "[Insert person here] walks into a bar..." joke. The part where she says "Ow" is the punch line. Get it? 2 different meanings for the word bar.
The part where she says "Ow" is the punch line. Get it? 2 different meanings for the word bar.
The difference is that here, its two different words with counter intuitive meanings.
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