Jeanne, my eldest son wrote sth suspicious: When you have a plant, you must water its soil.
I know it should be you must water it but I am still trying to save his young ass. Is it possible to say so?
Though the phrase is not generally used, it is technically correct. Rather than say it is incorrect, I would classify it as awkward. People would know what is meant by it, but it sounds out of the ordinary.
Re: Miscellanous language items « Reply #152 on Mar 14, 2012, 1:51pm »
"When you have a plant you must keep it watered" would be my usage. or, "When you have a plant you must water it"
You've already identified the noun so there is no need to repeat it in the same sentence. "plant" and "soil" are two different things (nouns). You want the plant to recieve water. He is actually thinking very logically because you would apply the water to the soil. It's really a matter of difference in language structure. the fault lies in the English language, not your students head.
the fault lies in the English language, not your students head.
My impression too. Literally speaking, the plant waters itself, one can't water,'fill with water' the plant. All one can do is water the soil. Kudos to Bo jr. for his logic!
Joined: May 2008 Gender: Male Posts: 2,813 Location: Warszawa
Re: Miscellanous language items « Reply #154 on Mar 14, 2012, 3:18pm »
Of course there are similar illogical words in Polish too. Eg. 'to diet' in Polish is 'odchudzać się'. Which literally means to 'de-slim oneself'. While,,logically, if someone de-slims himself, he is not slim anymore. To be logical one should say he 'de-fats' himself, in Polish 'odgrubiać się'. If somone would use such a non-existing word ,he would be surely understood, but would sound awkward, just as Jeanne said, or humourisric.
Joined: Jan 2008 Gender: Male Posts: 11,454 Location: Krak`s Town, Lesser Poland
Re: Miscellanous language items « Reply #155 on Mar 15, 2012, 1:13am »
Thank you guys on behalf of my son. You tried to save his ass, but I am a strict father and teacher and I told him he still has to study hard to acquire proper proficiency in written English.
But he was given his 7 zlotys reward for getting into the third stage of English Competition anyway.
I must admit, the thought of Bonobo having sired an engineering-minded child is somewhat amusing to me.
It isn`t accidental. I am engineering -minded myself. When I made a hand grenade in high school, my parents` jaws dropped down almost to the floor.
Just give me a plank and a few nails and I will make a rocket out of it. A Pole can!
PS. Today I scored a major slip-up. A student wrote: Electricity went off and I considered it wrong and corrected into The lights went out. However, she brought a book and proved her version was OK.
What embarassment! I don`t remember when it last happened to me. Must be many years ago....
Joined: Jan 2008 Gender: Male Posts: 11,454 Location: Krak`s Town, Lesser Poland
Re: Miscellanous language items « Reply #158 on Jun 21, 2012, 10:32am »
I am running into strange uses of English in our original British textbooks more and more often. I wonder if they are common mistakes or mistakes which are gradually becoming new language rules?
I am running into strange uses of English in our original British textbooks more and more often. I wonder if they are common mistakes or mistakes which are gradually becoming new language rules?
Look:
Do you like History also?
Putting the "also" in this position means that the person asking the question likes History and wonders if the other person does too. If the speaker had asked, "Do you also like History?" that would mean the other person likes some other subjects besides History... does that make sense to you?
Quote:
It doesn`t interest me, too.
Again, the "too" means the speaker along with the person being spoken to is not interested in "it." "It, too, doesn't interest me," would mean there are other things that don't interest the speaker.
Quote:
A human brainb weighs about 1.5 kilograms.
Yes, that is correct (the "s" on kiograms) because 1.5 is more than one kilogram...at least that's MY take on these language issues!
Putting the "also" in this position means that the person asking the question likes History and wonders if the other person does too. If the speaker had asked, "Do you also like History?" that would mean the other person likes some other subjects besides History... does that make sense to you?
Yes! Again, the "too" means the speaker along with the person being spoken to is not interested in "it." "It, too, doesn't interest me," would mean there are other things that don't interest the speaker.
But I thought you should say either in negations!
Yes, that is correct (the "s" on kiograms) because 1.5 is more than one kilogram...
Yes! Again, the "too" means the speaker along with the person being spoken to is not interested in "it." "It, too, doesn't interest me," would mean there are other things that don't interest the speaker.
But I thought you should say either in negations!
I believe there are several correct ways one can say it. But, in negations shouldn't it be "neither" , and not "either"?
Joined: Jan 2008 Gender: Male Posts: 11,454 Location: Krak`s Town, Lesser Poland
Re: Miscellanous language items « Reply #164 on Jun 25, 2012, 7:43pm »
What is the message of this cartoon? I thought I understood it some time ago but my students have offered me so many interpretations that today I am lost.
What is the message of this cartoon? I thought I understood it some time ago but my students have offered me so many interpretations that today I am lost.
This cartoon is fraught with irony, so it's hard to tell exactly what its creator had in mind. The scene itself is reminiscent of the 1950's American culture of the perfect "homemaker", happy with her life of devotion to her family. The world of advertising/marketing played into this world which was legitimately based on the wholesome value of sacrificial love of one's family, by convincing women that they needed many products to make them even more "perfect" than they already were. The irony, of course, comes from the woman's reference to perhaps returning to brain surgery. In the world of the 1950's this would have been a rarity, indeed, but in our present world it becomes more and more frequent an occurrence, that a woman might leave a financially rewarding and personally fulfilling career to stay home and raise her children.
I personally choose to interpret it in this manner: The cartoon is saying to its readers that one should not judge a woman negatively by her choice to stay at home and perform the very valuable task of raising her children and being available to them, for perhaps that very woman, slaving over the kitchen chores, also is a very intelligent, talented, and valuable member of the human community, who is actually sacrificing what may be an easier and more ego-sustaining career to devote herself full-time to the most important career in the world, that of raising her children into happy, healthy and responsible members of society.
...and I realize this is my VERY subjective opinion...thanks for asking, though!
I personally choose to interpret it in this manner: The cartoon is saying to its readers that one should not judge a woman negatively by her choice to stay at home and perform the very valuable task of raising her children and being available to them, for perhaps that very woman, slaving over the kitchen chores, also is a very intelligent, talented, and valuable member of the human community, who is actually sacrificing what may be an easier and more ego-sustaining career to devote herself full-time to the most important career in the world, that of raising her children into happy, healthy and responsible members of society.
...and I realize this is my VERY subjective opinion...thanks for asking, though!
Oh, I see!
I would say it is a very, very decent interpretation.
My students` were completely crazy but I was unable to turn them down as they did sound quite plausible. E.g., the girl is mentally handicapped (the way she is drawn may cause such an impression) but her mother promises her that one day she will go back to brain surgery to operate on the girl, so she needn`t worry at all.
My students` were completely crazy but I was unable to turn them down as they did sound quite plausible. E.g., the girl is mentally handicapped (the way she is drawn may cause such an impression) but her mother promises her that one day she will go back to brain surgery to operate on the girl, so she needn`t worry at all.
Now, there's a creative interpretation...your students are definitely clever! (Of course, they are 'way too young to be aware of all that US 1950's culture stuff that I wrote about! )
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