English for Non-native Speakers' Journal

education_group @ 2:44pm: Английский на Кипре: Семейная программа
Оригинал взят у education_group в Английский на Кипре: Семейная программа

education_group @ 5:19pm: Обучение за рубежом
Оригинал взят у education_group в Обучение за рубежом

just_out @ 12:53am: фразеологизм или просто хамство ?
Вопрос от чайника.
Дано:better to be pissed than pissed off/
Прямой лобовой перевод понятен и да, несколько скандален, приношу заранее извинения.
Но, не знает ли кто из уважаемых сообщников, нет ли здесь какого скрытого смысла *) Не идет ли речь о каком либо устойчивом фразеологизме,пословице и тп ? Может быть все не так страшно ?
(Чтобы было понятно,это-надпись на одежде)

dryoldscholar @ 11:01am: Description vs. account
Дано: в тексте речь идёт о географических описаниях разных стран. Чтобы разнообразить свой язык я называю эти описания то description, то account: a description of India, the account of the southern coast of Africa, etc.

Хотелось бы прояснить нюансы значений: что изменится от того, скажу ли я description или account? Для какого контекста уместнее будет одно, а для какого другое?

Заранее большое спасибо за любые идеи!

freydank @ 8:25pm: Inspirational quotes


Video with inspirational quotes.

groundhogman @ 5:20pm: Английский по скайпу
В целях улучшения и поддержания английского переодически болтаю по скайпу с носителями инглиша.
У меня появился американец желающий в дальнейшем напрямую учить английскому (американскому варианту, ессно).
Вот его ЖЖ (http://englishclass101.livejournal.com/). Кроме того, он постит неплохие заметки.
Короче, ни к чему не призываю. Если кому интересно - попробуйте напишите (русского не знает), вдруг пригодится...

PS за пост ничего не получил, просто в качестве совета.

groundhogman @ 6:29pm: Активно-писательское изучение Английского
Недавно в одной книге для себя нашел интересную мысль, о том что дети значительно быстрее осваивают язык не только благодаря хорошей памяти и подражанию, но и из-за того, что идет АКТИВНОЕ освоение языка. Т е они сразу пытаются что-то сказать, экспериментируют со словами, "пробуют на вкус". Взрослые часто начинают напрягать мозг и пытаться или зазубрить или найти витиеватые логические связи с родным языком. Но все равно изучение в большей степени пассивное (чтение, прослушивание и т.п.).

Еще у меня проблема с письменным Английским. Т е я могу что-то сказать устно по Скайпу или при личной встрече, а если письменно приходится лазить в словарь каждый раз.

Учитывая, что еще хочется,, чтобы занятия были интересны, а не заучивания идиотских топиков, я для себя применяю такой метод:
1. Нахожу субтитры к фильму который мне раньше нравился и общее содержание которого я помню
2. Читаю-перевожу предложение из текста
3. Переписываю по возможности по памяти предложение (можно в блокнот, а можно в какой-нибудь синтезатор голоса, "Балаболка", например)
4. Несколько раз прослушиваю и устно повторяю (п 4 и п3 можно и в обратном порядке)

Лично для меня это приносит пользу. Может кому-то еще подойдет.

hanabusa_juuza @ 10:28pm: Any help for my endorsement letter check?
Hello!
I had to write an endorsement letter.I wonder if anyone could help me with fixing it. :)
Thank you!
PS: I'll send it through PM.

ambersnake @ 6:06pm: Interested in
I was reading Fool Moon by Jim Butcher and came across this sentence:

"But what I'm really interested in," I said, "is in knowing why your blood was in Marcone's restaurant."

My question is, why the second 'in'? I know 'interested' requires the first one but I can't come up with a reason for the second one. If I were to write the sentence myself, I wouldn't include it.

nastroeniya @ 6:48pm: Learn easy
Hi, everyone! I just wanted to share the way of learning, which is quite known actually. I mean making pics! Recently I've learnt a song for homework and couldn't remember the order of the lines, so I did like this and definitely had a fun :)))

michelleare @ 4:01pm: Hello
 Hi everyone!

If you are free, kindly check this out.
www.michelleregno.webs.com

Thank you!

komurczak @ 11:19am: a question about Lord of the Rings
So I started to watch Lord of the Rings first time in English and the English they use sounds strange. It sounds more like English English than American English, and I was wondering if they used some kind of speach so it would sound so old, like in movie Brokeback Mountain, they didn't open their mouths to sound like rangers. So did they talk funny in this too, or is it normal English???

annapasierb @ 8:57pm: "On/in the media"
Hello,

Do we say "on (the) media" or "in (the) media"?

eg. "Information in/on the media can't be impartial."

Is "the" necessary there?

I thought I knew that but when I started thinking, I got confused.

Thank you for helping me.

komurczak @ 5:11pm: which is better?
hi, can I ask if there is a difference between "I know nothing" and "I don't know anything", are both right? If so, which one is more used?

topielica @ 5:37pm:
Hello! I'm writing an essay for my English class, and if any of you could help me, I would appreciate it. I have just a few small things to ask.

1. Is it okay if I put a Latin word/short phrase in my essay (was that called a macaronic language, anyone?)? I used to do that when I was writing essays in my mother language and the teacher would always accept it, but what are the rules for doing that in English? Is it acceptable?

2. Do you say "a woman that wants to have abortion done" or "to get abortion" or what? It sounds weird to me. I don't want to repeat the phrase "aborting a foetus" all the time, so could you give me any other ideas?

3. "Although the law allows abortion if the woman's health is in danger, the lady was refused it." - is it correct English? I'm afraid that there might be some confusion regarding the thing the lady was refused (by which I mean abortion, of course).

4. I want to say that I am pro-choice. Can you say "I hold a pro-choice stance"?

5. To fall pregnant, to get pregnant, to become pregnant... Can you say it in different words? Again, I don't want to repeat myself all the time.

6. "...while the government in Romania proposed adopting the national IVF treatment programme that will help refund the in vitro fertilisation in the coming years." - Correct? Incorrect? Suggestions?

Thank you in advance!

spoonisoutthere @ 2:08pm: hello, everyone
Native English speakers, could you please explain me the bold text? it's from Nat King Cole's song "Straighten up and fly right"
what does it mean, in other words?

A buzzard took monkey for a ride in the air
The monkey thought that everything was on the square
The buzzard tried to throw the monkey off his back
But the monkey grabbed his neck and said-- Now listen, Jack

Straighten up and fly right x3
Cool down, papa, don't you blow your top.

Ain't no use in divin'
What's the use in jivin'
Straighten up and fly right
Cool down, papa, don't you blow your top.

thanks in advance

hellandbliss @ 11:47pm: Call vs Phone (verb)
Hey!

Does anyone watch "The Good Wife"? Well, no one on the show uses the word 'call' when they mean making a phone call, they always, always say like "Phone me." "I'll phone you later." or something like that, even if it's just a casual conversation between family members.

I'd always thought, until I started watching this show, American people use 'call' rather than 'phone'. Have I been wrong all these years? Or is it just only in this particular show, and if that's the case, why is that?

Thanks in advance!

spoonisoutthere @ 5:19pm: hi everyone,
is it true that the word 'woman' derives from a combination of "woo" and "man"? (where woo is a verb, like in "I'm trying to woo her all over again")

hitsujiga @ 10:13pm: abstract on law-related article
Hi, I'm a total newbie. I hope I do everything right.

Just recently I promised my japanese friend to proofread his abstract on a law-related article he wrote. Since I'm quite fluent in English I thought it wouldn't be a big deal. But now I am kind of stuck and feel I am at a dead end with my knowledge, since this is not my native language and I'm no expert at it at all.
Firstly, I am not familiar with law-related issues and therefore the vocabulary used in the text. Of course, I looked it up and googled articles on the issue, but I can't quite grasp the contents 100%. Secondly, in Japanese it is quite normal to repeat certain words but in English it gets quite annoying to read the abstract. Now I'm trying to ask anyone of you here to help me proofread this and tell me, if the text is understandable, if there are any grave mistakes and if the wording my friend used is appropriate.

( abstract on Delaware-law issueCollapse )

dunaj @ 8:20pm: Quote by Henry James
Hi. Could anyone please explain the grammar of this quote by Henry James: A man who pretends to understand women is bad manners. For him to really to understand them is bad morals.

Why would he use the other to in it? Why not just for him to really understand them is...

Thanks a lot!

alzera @ 1:44pm: Проблемы молодежи
Не раз и не два, бывали случаи, когда выходя из квартиры, спускаясь к выходу из подъезда, мы с вами встречали их. Нет, это не зловещие духи из зарубежных триллеров, и не соседские, или же просто бездомные, вопящие направо и налево кошки. Проходя лестничную клетку, и направляясь к выходу из подъезда, мы натыкаемся на группу молодых людей, в не совсем адекватном состоянии. Люди, казалось бы имеющие все перспективы, раскрывающейся перед их взором жизни, весьма пьяны.. Читать полностью

helga_lj @ 1:03am: Particular and Specific
What's the difference? When to use what?

spoonisoutthere @ 12:01am: hello everyone,
way more/far more/way far more/much more - what's the difference?

spoonisoutthere @ 4:46pm: hi guys,
out of interest, why do all the question words begin with W (except how)?

natkas @ 8:50pm: at scale - need help!!!
 Please advise,


what is "at scale" in the following context:

new applications can be delivered in days or weeks rather than months or years, and at scale.

Can it refer to the fact that applications keep a certain quality, or it has some separate meaning?