Help with English

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

  1. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    24,690
    "Online" is the correct form: a single word with no hyphen.
    No. "I like to play online GAMES."
     
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  3. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    I will be flying to London in a first-class seat.
     
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  5. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    Yes, but we say it anyway. It's a slightly more acceptable version of "fuck up."
    It means that you made a mistake. There are a hundred ways to say that!
     
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  7. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    I like to listen to songs in/on/of the radio.
    Which preposition?
     
  8. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    On.

    Songs come "out of" the radio. They're really just passing "through" the radio.

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  9. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    I hope that I can clear off my debt in 5 years time.
    Correct?
     
  10. Baldeee Valued Senior Member

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    People would understand you but it's not the usual way of saying it.

    On the matter of whether "clear off" is correct... I would use either:
    I hope that I can clear my debt in 5 years time
    or
    I hope I can pay off my debt in 5 years time.

    But it also depends on what you're trying to say.
    Do you mean that you hope you can clear your debt(s) within 5 years (I.e. at some point in the next 5 years you hope to be free of debt) or do you mean that you hope to be able to pay off your debt at the end of 5 years... I.e. Pay nothing until then and clear it all in one payment?

    Also be aware that "debt" usually refers to a single debt owed to someone, whereas "debts" would refer to all your debts.
     
  11. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    7,057
    In Canada we would just say, "5 years." We would assume that years are time. On the other hand, we do often say that somebody is x, "years of age."
     
  12. geordief Valued Senior Member

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    2,118
    Pretty sure ( I have googled it) that you also need an apostrophe here .

    So it is "I hope that I can clear my debt in 5 years' time"
     
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  13. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    4,752
    mantle, mantel, mental,

    Are their heir pronunciations very similar?

    Same root of word?
     
  14. Dr_Toad It's green! Valued Senior Member

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    Someone will give a better answer, but:

    Mantle can be a cloak (of authority, perhaps), or a rare-earth oxide used in a gas lantern. There are other usages.

    Mantel refers to a fireplace. The mantel is a (usually) stone shelf that justs from the chimney wall to prevent flares, and a nice place to put family pictures...

    Mental is a completely different thing. There are altogether too many examples of one colloquial use of the word that would describe some of the members. But I digress.
     
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  15. geordief Valued Senior Member

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    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilary_Mantel Hilary Mantel's (the writer) name is accentuated on the last syllable.
     
    Last edited: Jun 29, 2017
  16. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    ON the radio or television. We also say simply "on radio" or "on TV."
    No, although everyone would understand you. There are several other slang ways of saying this, such as "getting rid of."

    The simplest way to say it is to "pay off" my debt.
    Mantel and mantle are pronounced identically; in fact, until recently they were the same word.

    But "mental" is different word, and is not pronounced the same as the other two.
     
  17. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    beating around the bush = say indirectly?
     
  18. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    Yes, but there's more to it. To "beat around the bush" means that you're talking about something which is (at least slightly) important, but for various reasons (which are usually not explained), you never actually say why you're doing it.

    The usual reason is that to open up the real topic is going to cause a lot of arguing, and people might start being rude to each other.
     
  19. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    4,752
    I will not forgive you unless/except you apologize to me for your offence.

    Except sounds correct to me, isn't it?
     
  20. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    Tesla Loses Stranglehold As EV Revolution Accelerates.

    stranglehold = ?
     
  21. Saint Valued Senior Member

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    4,752
    Taylor Swift has a song named "I belong with you".
    I belong to/with you,
    to vs with, what's the difference in this sentence?
     
  22. Baldeee Valued Senior Member

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    No, you would use "unless".
    "Unless" is used before a condition.
    I will do A unless you do B

    You might use "except" if you are explaining that the reason you didn't do something was because the person did something beforehand.
    "I wasn't going to forgive you except you apologised."
    The implication being that because they apologised you will now forgive them.
    It's probably not correct English even then, but I've seen it used.
     
  23. Baldeee Valued Senior Member

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    2,226
    A stranglehold is a firm grip on something - the metaphor being to have your hands around someone's neck, strangling them.
    In this case Tesla is losing their firm grip on the EV revolution, since other manufacturers are starting to get involved in a big way.
    "To belong to someone" expresses an ownership.
    Your house belongs to you.
    Your television belongs to you.

    "To belong with someone" expresses a relationship, that things go together.
    E.g. if you are organising your music collection, Pink Floyd might belong with King Crimson under the category of "Progressive Rock".
    When saying "I belong with you" you are saying that you think you fit together.
     

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