• Old stuff

    From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to All on Fri Jan 28 12:28:30 2022
    Hi, All!

    In one English book I read this on the first page:

    -----Beginning of the citation-----
    About the Author

    Olly Richards, author of the "Teach Youself Foreign Language Graded Readers" series, speaks eight languages and is the man behind the popular language learning blog "I Will Teach You a Language".
    ----- The end of the citation -----

    Why is the subj "old stuff"? Because I ask you why there is no "the" article before "author". ;-)

    Bye, All!
    Alexander Koryagin

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    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Alexander Koryagin on Wed Feb 2 21:36:43 2022
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to All:

    Olly Richards, author of the "Teach Youself Foreign
    Language Graded Readers" series, speaks eight languages
    and is the man behind the popular language learning blog
    "I Will Teach You a Language."

    Why is the subj "old stuff"? Because I ask you why there
    is no "the" article before "author". ;-)


    Not to worry. Russians tend to struggle with "the" because in their native language it is used differently. People from various parts of southeast Asia tend to struggle with plurals because, in their experience, if we say e.g. "three men" it's considered redundant to pluralize a noun after a number... but don't understand that it's unnecessary to pluralize "broccoli", which is plural in Italian. Sometimes they overcompensate by saying "juicy grape" when they're selling grapes by weight, or add an apostrophe + "s" when they're not sure what else to do. I've seen examples of what Brits refer to as "grocer's English"... and the situation is much the same around here. I have difficulty with certain inflections I've noticed in other languages which make very little if any sense to me, and I would be equally baffled by how this article is used in Russian.

    I mentioned awhile ago that "the" may be optional in a sentence like "Mrs. Grant is currently in [the] hospital." AFAIK it wouldn't be incorrect to add "the" in this case... but in a journalistic style it might be omitted. :-)




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Thu Feb 3 08:19:46 2022
    Hi, Ardith Hinton! -> Alexander Koryagin
    I read your message from 02.02.2022 23:36

    Olly Richards, author of the "Teach Youself Foreign Language
    Graded Readers" series, speaks eight languages and is the man
    behind the popular language learning blog "I Will Teach You a
    Language."

    Why is the subj "old stuff"? Because I ask you why there is
    no "the" article before "author".

    <skipped>

    I mentioned awhile ago that "the" may be optional in a sentence
    like "Mrs. Grant is currently in [the] hospital." AFAIK it wouldn't
    be incorrect to add "the" in this case... but in a journalistic
    style it might be omitted.

    Is "the" in "Bill Clinton, the President of United States of America" correct?

    Bye, Ardith!
    Alexander Koryagin
    english_tutor 2022

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    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Alexander Koryagin on Fri Feb 4 23:26:15 2022
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

    Is "the" in "Bill Clinton, the President of United States
    of America" correct?


    The article is optional with words like "president".

    The definite article is required in "The United States of America" because that is the official name of the country. In the common parlance we often say "the US" or something similar... i.e. retaining the article. "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" is treated in the same manner. Colloquially, we often refer to it as "the UK".

    WRT official titles like "President of the United States", or even "former President of the United States", the article may be left out. Among Fidonetters this title may be abbreviated as "the POTUS". But AFAIK none of them are journalists, who say things like "US President Joe Biden". In such cases they are using the abbreviated name of the country as an adjective. I can't think of anybody else, however, who would actually say that... [grin].

    In case my last paragraph left you & others a bit confused, I will share with you my own experience as an actress in an elementary school play. Years ago, when only formal English was allowed in the classroom, one of the lines I memorized was "I'm So-and-So, president of the Ladies' Flower Club." IOW... I regard this usage as well established & therefore have no objection when others employ it in reference to some author, movie director, etc. :-)




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Sat Feb 5 16:58:52 2022
    Hi, Ardith Hinton - Alexander Koryagin!
    I read your message from 05.02.2022 01:26

    Is "the" in "Bill Clinton, the President of United States of
    America" correct?

    The article is optional with words like "president".

    The definite article is required in "The United States of America"
    because that is the official name of the country. In the common
    parlance we often say "the US" or something similar... i.e.
    retaining the article. "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and
    Northern Ireland" is treated in the same manner. Colloquially, we
    often refer to it as "the UK".

    WRT official titles like "President of the United States", or
    even "former President of the United States", the article may be
    left out. Among Fidonetters this title may be abbreviated as "the
    POTUS". But AFAIK none of them are journalists, who say things
    like "US President Joe Biden". In such cases they are using the abbreviated name of the country as an adjective. I can't think of
    anybody else, however, who would actually say that... [grin].

    In case my last paragraph left you & others a bit confused, I will
    share with you my own experience as an actress in an elementary
    school play. Years ago, when only formal English was allowed in the classroom, one of the lines I memorized was "I'm So-and-So,
    president of the Ladies' Flower Club." IOW... I regard this usage
    as well established & therefore have no objection when others
    employ it in reference to some author, movie director, etc.

    If I were invented English rules, I put it simpler. The article "the" can be omitted if you are sure that the thing or person, you are speaking about, is unique in general. In other words -- we don't need "the" before "author" from my example because the author of a particular book is unique as a rule. The same with American president, prime minister, head master.

    So: I went to school to meet with headmaster. Capital of the US is Washington. Composer of "Moon sonata" is Beethoven. After school I went home. Head is part of body.

    Are there any examples how to disprove my rule?
    ;-)

    Bye, Ardith!
    Alexander Koryagin
    english_tutor 2022

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    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Alexander Koryagin on Tue Feb 8 23:52:55 2022
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

    I went to school to meet with headmaster. Capital of the
    US is Washington. Composer of "Moon sonata" is Beethoven.
    After school I went home. Head is part of body.

    Are there any examples how to disprove my rule? ;-)


    After school [or work] I went home... that's correct.


    WRT your other examples here, the article may be needed when you are *not* using nouns in apposition... as you did in your initial enquiry.

    The head is part of the body.

    The capital of Canada is Ottawa, Ontario.

    The President of the US remarked yesterday that... [blah blah].

    I have an appointment at the eye clinic.


    but:


    Leo Tolstoy, [the] author of WAR AND PEACE

    Joe Biden, [the] President of the US

    Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

    George Gordon, Lord Byron


    In general the article may be omitted when some individual's name is mentioned first & a bit of clarification is added almost immediately... either separated by a comma, as above, or at times by the verb "[to be]":

    Justin Trudeau is [the] Prime Minister of Canada.

    Susan Smith is [the] General Manager of the XYZ Company.


    There's always a possibility... however remote... that more than one person uses the same name &/or that a member of the audience will have no idea who you're talking about until you've added a bit of further information. Now
    ... if what I've said is as clear as mud, please feel free to ask again. :-))




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Anton Shepelev@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Wed Feb 9 17:03:18 2022
    Ardith Hinton:

    In general the article may be omitted when some
    individual's name is mentioned first & a bit of
    clarification is added almost immediately... either
    separated by a comma, as above, or at times by the verb
    "[to be]":

    Justin Trudeau is [the] Prime Minister of Canada.
    Susan Smith is [the] General Manager of the XYZ Company.

    I might further help Alexander by adding that in Russian
    these nouns would be inflected. The article is required
    when the noun is not inflected and is the subject of a verb.

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    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From alexander koryagin@2:5075/128.130 to Ardith Hinton on Thu Feb 10 12:40:54 2022
    Hi Ardith Hinton!
    I read your message on 10-Feb-2022

    AK>> I went to school to meet with headmaster. Capital of the US is
    AK>> Washington. Composer of "Moon sonata" is Beethoven. After school I
    AK>> went home. Head is part of body.

    AK>> Are there any examples how to disprove my rule?

    AH> After school [or work] I went home... that's correct.

    AH> WRT your other examples here, the article may be needed when you
    AH> are *not* using nouns in apposition... as you did in your initial
    AH> enquiry.

    AH> The head is part of the body.

    It can be understood that "This head is a part of this body" A criminal investigation. :)
    And why not "a body"?

    AH> The capital of Canada is Ottawa, Ontario.
    AH> The President of the US remarked yesterday that... [blah blah].

    Well, it seems, I see, "The" is necessary when there is no definition
    before the countable noun and this noun defines something unique.
    In my case we will have "the" if we paraphrase the sentence:
    <The author of the "Teach Youself Foreign Language, Olly Richards...>

    <skipped>

    Bye Ardith!
    alexander koryagin
    fido7.su.pol 2022
    -=<{Linux Astra - Thunderbird 78.12.0 - akReformator_lx}>=-
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  • From Anton Shepelev@2:221/6 to alexander koryagin on Thu Feb 10 12:54:26 2022
    Alexander Koryagin to Ardith Hinton:

    The head is part of the body.
    It can be understood that "This head is a part of this
    body" A criminal investigation. :)

    Once the head has been severed from the body, it is no
    longer part of it, but, in a sense, a part of it. `part'
    without an article denotes beloging in a general sense
    rather than as a distinct element. A thing may be a part of
    another thing wihout beloging to it, as a severed head.

    And why not "a body"?

    Becuase the statement is true of all bodies, and therefore
    referes to the body in general, rather than as to a specific
    body, such as your or mine.

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    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to alexander koryagin on Wed Feb 16 23:54:15 2022
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

    The head is part of the body.

    It can be understood that "This head is a part of
    this body" A criminal investigation. :)


    Archaeologists & criminologists may at times be called upon to identify various body parts which have been separated for whatever reason(s). In such a situation, however, I'd say "xxx is part of yyy" as I did there.

    In my example I used "head" & "body" in a general sense... and as Anton has pointed out, "the" is often used in such a context. When grammarians speak e.g. of "the article" or "the dictionary" they don't mean to imply there's only one they regard as worthy of serious consideration. They believe that if their readers aren't quite sure what an "article" is they know how to look it up, and that they'll get +/- the same answer regardless of where they look.... :-)



    And why not "a body"?


    I guess because it's already been taken. In dialectical English it may mean a person, not necessarily identified... as in the Scottish folk song:

    If a body meet a body coming through the rye
    If a body kiss a body, need a body cry?



    The capital of Canada is Ottawa, Ontario.
    The President of the US remarked yesterday that...
    [blah blah].

    Well, it seems, I see, "The" is necessary when there is no
    definition before the countable noun and this noun defines
    something unique.


    Okay, I think you're on the right track.... :-)



    In my case we will have "the" if we paraphrase the
    sentence: <The author of the "Teach Youself Foreign
    Language, Olly Richards...>


    The author of the "Teach Yourself Foreign Language Series"... yes, that is evidently the name of the series although AFAIK it includes only one book so far. I had to check it out to verify that there's no "a" in the title, because foreign languages are countable whereas e.g. knitting & metal work aren't. :-Q


    Adding to another of your examples:

    The composer of the "Moonlight" sonata, Ludwig van Beethoven, named
    this work "Sonata quasi una fantasia per il clavicembalo". The nickname was
    added by others who probably found it easier to remember &/or relate to.



    Taken alone, the words "author" and "composer" are not unique. Neither are words like "capital" and "president". We make them unique when we add more information... typically including proper nouns like their name, their official status/job title, &/or the name of at least one of their best-known works. :-)




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Thu Feb 17 13:35:28 2022
    Hi, Ardith Hinton! -> Alexander Koryagin
    I read your message from 17.02.2022 01:54


    The head is part of the body.

    It can be understood that "This head is a part of this body" A
    criminal investigation.

    Archaeologists & criminologists may at times be called upon to
    identify various body parts which have been separated for whatever reason(s). In such a situation, however, I'd say "xxx is part of
    yyy" as I did there.

    In my example I used "head" & "body" in a general sense... and as

    Probably I forgot about the general sense.

    So, in Russia we say that the palm itches in the salary day. Correct?

    Bye, Ardith!
    Alexander Koryagin
    english_tutor 2022

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    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to All on Mon Feb 21 08:29:14 2022
    Hi, All!

    I read this:

    -------------
    At the clinic, it was flu season, so there was a steady stream of children with fevers that morning.
    -------------

    Why "flu season" without "a" article?

    Bye, All!
    ENGLISH_TUTOR 2022
    Alexander Koryagin

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    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From mark lewis@1:3634/12.73 to Alexander Koryagin on Mon Feb 21 04:06:30 2022
    On 2022 Feb 21 08:29:14, you wrote to All:

    Why "flu season" without "a" article?

    because it covers all flues... not just a specific one (the) or any one (a)...

    )\/(ark

    "The soul of a small kitten in the body of a mighty dragon. Look on my majesty, ye mighty, and despair! Or bring me catnip. Your choice. Oooh, a shiny thing!"
    ... Never order chicken-fried steak in a place that doesn't have a jukebox.
    ---
    * Origin: (1:3634/12.73)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Alexander Koryagin on Sat Feb 26 21:52:39 2022
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

    In my example I used "head" & "body" in a general
    sense...

    Probably I forgot about the general sense.


    Perhaps because it's not something we use often. :-)



    So, in Russia we say that the palm itches in the
    salary day. Correct?


    I know what you mean because an "itchy palm" has very much the same connotations in English & I think it's entirely appropriate to refer to it in the general sense here because many people have been in situations where e.g. they got paid at the end of the month... the same day the rent was due... and found it challenging to "make ends meet" the last few days before then. :-))

    IMHO you made a good start with a parallelism... i.e. an idea which for native speakers who don't understand the grammar appears to be a mystery. But I know I can count on my Russian friends to understand the grammar, and I see you've grown beyond question #4 in the textbook. I've found prepositions quite a challenge in other languages I've studied, so I can assure you you're not alone. In English, when we're referring to a particular day, we say "on" rather than "in". Easter Sunday, e.g., will be on April 17th this year... by our calendar. Question: I notice that the Orthodox Palm Sunday occurs a week later than ours, and the Orthodox Pascha occurs a week later than our Easter. How do Orthodox churches calculate such dates & does "Pascha" +/- = "Easter"? I'm aware of phrases such as "paschal lamb" but can't quite connect the dots.

    Anyway, I think I know what you mean by "the salary day" too... and while I'm reluctant to interefere with a nice parallism I must point out that where I come from it's usually called "payday" to minimize class distinctions between salaried employees & those who are paid by the hour. In general we'd say "payday" without using either the definite or indefinite article.... :-Q




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to mark lewis on Mon Feb 28 23:52:12 2022
    Hi, Mark! Recently you wrote in a message to Alexander Koryagin:

    Why "flu season" without "a" article?

    because it covers all flues... not just a specific one
    (the) or any one (a)...


    Yes, there are usually many different varieties in circulation... and for those who prepare the vaccines it's not easy to be sure in advance which of them will be most troublesome during the next fall/winter/spring flu season.


    At times people say they have the flu, but in most such cases I think they're assuming it's whichever variety is currently prevalent where they live. Either way we can use "the" without fretting about whether the article modifies only the word immediately it after it or the entire kit & kaboodle. While some may choose to drop "the" in "flu" or "flu season", I can't think of a situation which would justify using "a" without doing quite a bit of rewording. :-)


    Doing even more fine tuning, however: when we say "flu" or "'flu" we are using a colloquial variation of "influenza"... a "flue" is typically a pipe or other enclosure which e.g. directs the flow of smoke in a chimney:

    A flea and a fly in a flue
    Were imprisoned, so what could they do?
    Said the flea, "Let us fly"...
    Said the fly, "Let us flee"...
    So they flew through a hole in the flue.

    -- traditional nursery rhyme


    While I do realize it's not great poetry, it's what I grew up on. But for most people here what matters is that if their dictionary doesn't list the plural of xxx I think it's safe to assume that all they need to do is add an "s".... :-)



    Look on my majesty, ye mighty, and despair! Or bring
    me catnip.


    I reckon you've had some experience with cats. What I'd like to know is why... if, as scientists tell us, they can't see colours... why they seem to be quite selective about which balls from the Xmas tree they'll play with. :-Q




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From mark lewis@1:3634/12.73 to Ardith Hinton on Tue Mar 1 06:54:18 2022
    On 2022 Feb 28 23:52:12, you wrote to me:

    Doing even more fine tuning, however: when we say "flu" or "'flu" we
    are using a colloquial variation of "influenza"... a "flue" is
    typically a pipe or other enclosure which e.g. directs the flow of
    smoke in a chimney:

    i think you are targetting this at my use of "flues" to indicate multiple influenza types... i just wasn't sure of the proper pluralization form for "flu" and went with the more common usage of adding "es"...

    )\/(ark

    "The soul of a small kitten in the body of a mighty dragon. Look on my majesty, ye mighty, and despair! Or bring me catnip. Your choice. Oooh, a shiny thing!"
    ... Sweet potatoes - Better with possum than barbecue.
    ---
    * Origin: (1:3634/12.73)
  • From alexander koryagin@2:5075/128.130 to Ardith Hinton on Wed Mar 2 15:35:11 2022
    Hi, Ardith Hinton!
    I read your message from 26.02.2022 21:52

    AK>> So, in Russia we say that the palm itches in the salary day.
    AK>> Correct?

    AH> I know what you mean because an "itchy palm" has very much the same
    AH> connotations in English & I think it's entirely appropriate to
    AH> refer to it in the general sense here because many people have been
    AH> in situations where e.g. they got paid at the end of the month...
    AH> the same day the rent was due... and found it challenging to "make
    AH> ends meet" the last few days before then. :-))

    AH> IMHO you made a good start with a parallelism... i.e. an idea which
    AH> for native speakers who don't understand the grammar appears to be
    AH> a mystery. But I know I can count on my Russian friends to
    AH> understand the grammar, and I see you've grown beyond question #4
    AH> in the textbook. I've found prepositions quite a challenge in other
    AH> languages I've studied, so I can assure you you're not alone. In
    AH> English, when we're referring to a particular day, we say "on"
    AH> rather than "in". Easter Sunday, e.g., will be on April 17th this
    AH> year... by our calendar.

    On/in -- yes we think differently. Although Americans, for instance,
    gave up "in" when they speak about streets. They accept that events
    happen on the street, like in Russia, not in the street, as the British speakers say. ;)

    AH> Question: I notice that the Orthodox Palm
    AH> Sunday occurs a week later than ours, and the Orthodox Pascha
    AH> occurs a week later than our Easter. How do Orthodox churches
    AH> calculate such dates & does "Pascha" +/- = "Easter"? I'm aware of
    AH> phrases such as "paschal lamb" but can't quite connect the dots.

    Paskha is the Russian word for Easter. Quite often both events happen in
    one day. The problem is in ...mathematics and stubbornness. :)
    Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Jews have different mathematics formulas
    for calculating the passover day.

    AH> Anyway, I think I know what you mean by "the salary day" too... and
    AH> while I'm reluctant to interefere with a nice parallism I must
    AH> point out that where I come from it's usually called "payday" to
    AH> minimize class distinctions between salaried employees & those who
    AH> are paid by the hour. In general we'd say "payday" without using
    AH> either the definite or indefinite article....:-Q

    However if speak about a particular payday we probably should use "the".
    < The previous payday of Dec. 15 was partial. >

    Bye, Ardith!
    Alexander Koryagin
    fido.english_tutor,local.cc.ak 2022
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  • From Dallas Hinton@1:153/7715 to alexander koryagin on Wed Mar 2 11:49:49 2022
    Hi, alexander -- on Mar 02 2022 at 15:35, you wrote:


    On/in -- yes we think differently. Although Americans, for
    instance, gave up "in" when they speak about streets. They accept
    that events happen on the street, like in Russia, not in the
    street, as the British speakers say. ;)

    Interesting too, that we sit IN a chair, but ON a stool. :-)


    Cheers... Dallas

    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: The BandMaster, Vancouver, CANADA (1:153/7715)
  • From Anton Shepelev@2:221/6 to Anton Shepelev on Mon Mar 7 15:48:22 2022
    In Louse H. Briesemester's "Island Winds", I came
    upon another interesting nominal use of `part':

    And barometers are considered a part of the standard
    equipment of every home.

    I called it interesting because I should have omitted the
    indefinite article.

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    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Anton Shepelev@2:221/6 to Dallas Hinton on Mon Mar 7 15:55:16 2022
    Dallas Hinton - alexander koryagin:

    Interesting too, that we sit IN a chair, but ON a
    stool. :-)

    Small wonder that we do, for the sitter in a chair is
    enclosed on three sides with the backrest and armrests --
    parts that raise above the seat.

    ---
    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From alexander koryagin@2:5075/128.130 to Anton Shepelev on Mon Mar 7 18:49:48 2022
    Hi, Anton Shepelev!
    I read your message from 07.03.2022 16:55

    ??>>> Interesting too, that we sit IN a chair, but ON a
    ??>> >stool.:-)
    AS> Small wonder that we do, for the sitter in a chair is
    AS> enclosed on three sides with the backrest and armrests --
    AS> parts that raise above the seat.

    It is an armchair has it, not a chair.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair

    Bye, Anton!
    Alexander Koryagin
    fido.english_tutor 2022
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  • From Dallas Hinton@1:153/7715 to Anton Shepelev on Mon Mar 7 15:28:43 2022
    Hi, Anton -- on Mar 07 2022 at 15:55, you wrote:

    Interesting too, that we sit IN a chair, but ON a
    stool. :-)

    Small wonder that we do, for the sitter in a chair is
    enclosed on three sides with the backrest and armrests --
    parts that raise above the seat.

    Yes, that was my thinking, too. But what about this:
    "The shop is on the street" vs "the shop is on the street" ??? Both seem to be common usages and both are grammatically correct.


    Cheers... Dallas

    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: The BandMaster, Vancouver, CANADA (1:153/7715)
  • From Dallas Hinton@1:153/7715 to Dallas Hinton on Mon Mar 7 16:33:28 2022
    Hi, Dallas -- on Mar 07 2022 at 15:28, you wrote:

    Yes, that was my thinking, too. But what about this:

    "The shop is on the street" vs "the shop is on the street" ???
    Both seem to be common usages and both are grammatically correct.

    Sorry, that should have read "on the street" vs "in the street"


    Cheers... Dallas

    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: The BandMaster, Vancouver, CANADA (1:153/7715)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to mark lewis on Tue Mar 8 23:48:44 2022
    Hi, Mark! Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

    i just wasn't sure of the proper pluralization form for
    "flu" and went with the more common usage of adding "es"...


    Ah. I wasn't sure I'd ever seen it pluralized before, but I see no reason why it can't be. Common usage varies from time to time & from place to place & YMMV. When I get essentially the same answers from US + UK + Canadian sources I tend to regard the authors' findings as standard English.

    With words like "potato" & "octopus" the dictionary tells us how to pluralize them, and sometimes we do it by adding "-es". If we add "-es" where it isn't needed, though, we may confuse other members of the audience.... :-Q




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to alexander koryagin on Thu Mar 17 23:47:09 2022
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

    On/in -- yes we think differently. Although Americans,
    for instance, gave up "in" when they speak about streets.
    They accept that events happen on the street, like in
    Russia, not in the street, as the British speakers say. ;)


    As a Canadian I'm used to hearing both, and until now I hadn't given much thought to who might prefer one over the other. When I consult my memory bank I find a few stock expressions... but as yet it's not clear to me whether there is any significant difference between the two. In some cases at least I reckon the choice may depend on the nature of the event & the number of people who all want to occupy the same space at the same time. I can accept "the man on the street" who easily fits on the sidewalk, whereas I also accept "there's panic in the streets" when e.g. Godzilla is laying waste to Tokyo.... :-Q



    Question: I notice that the Orthodox Palm Sunday occurs a
    week later than ours, and the Orthodox Pascha occurs a week
    later than our Easter. How do Orthodox churches calculate
    such dates & does "Pascha" +/- = "Easter"? I'm aware of
    phrases such as "paschal lamb" but can't quite connect
    the dots.

    Paskha is the Russian word for Easter.


    Thank you.

    Allowing for minor variations in spelling, which often tend to occur when somebody is transliterating from Hebrew &/or Russian into English, that's more or less what I expected... but I didn't want to jump to conclusions. :-)



    Quite often both events happen in one day.


    Hmm... I reckon that's entirely possible. In some years the two are about a month apart, though, IIRC. :-)



    The problem is in ...mathematics and stubbornness. :)


    Nicely put! Yes, we all have traditional ways of doing things which make perfect sense to us although they may not to others. I'm very interested in how Russians think because folks like you keep returning to this echo. :-)



    Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Jews have different
    mathematics formulas for calculating the passover day.


    Uh-huh. Having been brought up as a Protestant, I can tell you that Easter occurs on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Equinox. If you say it quickly & it's what you're used to & everyone else you know uses the same calendar it's not that difficult. But if Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar & Jewish people use a lunar calendar I'm interested in how the systems fit together. It does seem that Easter occurs shortly after Passover.

    I'm the sort of person who wants to know why... so when we visited a Russian Orthodox church in Alaska & were given a very nice explanation WRT why they do things the way they do, I understood completely. Some folks responded to what various popes were doing by going back to the old way of doing things, while others suggested ways of making improvements to the current system. :-)



    In general we'd say "payday" without using either the
    definite or indefinite article....:-Q

    However if speak about a particular payday we probably
    should use "the". < The previous payday of Dec. 15 was
    partial. >


    Depending on the context, I think that might work.... :-)




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Mon Mar 21 11:55:38 2022
    Hi, Ardith Hinton! -> Alexander Koryagin
    I read your message from 18.03.2022 01:47

    Question: I notice that the Orthodox Palm Sunday occurs a week
    later than ours, and the Orthodox Pascha occurs a week later than
    our Easter. How do Orthodox churches calculate such dates &
    does "Pascha" +/- = "Easter"? I'm aware of phrases such
    as "paschal lamb" but can't quite connect the dots.

    <skipped>
    The problem is in... mathematics and stubbornness.

    Nicely put! Yes, we all have traditional ways of doing things which
    make perfect sense to us although they may not to others. I'm very

    Most interesting is the fact that the correctness of the Passover calculations can easily be checked just by looking at the Moon. It should be a full Moon during the Passover. ;) If it is not -- the formula is not correct.

    interested in how Russians think because folks like you keep
    returning to this echo.

    Yes, I remember how on the 7th of March 2007 I put here my first message, and it makes me feel nostalgia here. ;-)

    Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Jews have different mathematics
    formulas for calculating the passover day.

    Uh-huh. Having been brought up as a Protestant, I can tell you that
    Easter occurs on the first Sunday after the first full moon after
    the Equinox. If you say it quickly & it's what you're used to &
    everyone else you know uses the same calendar it's not that
    difficult. But if Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar &
    Jewish people use a lunar calendar I'm interested in how the
    systems fit together. It does seem that Easter occurs shortly after Passover.

    The Jewish people calculate the Passover by its own formula and it is quiet good in its accuracy.

    I'm the sort of person who wants to know why... so when we visited
    a Russian Orthodox church in Alaska & were given a very nice
    explanation WRT why they do things the way they do, I understood completely. Some folks responded to what various popes were doing
    by going back to the old way of doing things, while others
    suggested ways of making improvements to the current system.

    As for me I don't understand why some festivals are celebrated by the civil calendar and some are trying to follow the ancient dead moon calendar. Although, well, I believe that the full Moon really causes a big impact on a human. ;-)

    Bye, Ardith!
    Alexander Koryagin
    english_tutor 2022

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    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to alexander koryagin on Thu Mar 24 21:46:16 2022
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to Anton Shepelev:

    Interesting too, that we sit IN a chair, but ON a
    stool. :-)

    Small wonder that we do, for the sitter in a chair is
    enclosed on three sides with the backrest and armrests
    -- parts that raise above the seat.

    It is an armchair has it, not a chair.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair


    Ah... I think I see the problem. A stool typically has three legs & no back rest or arm rests. A chair typically has four legs & a back rest, but no arm rests... i.e. if it is a kitchen/dining room chair or the sort of cheap folding or stacking chair one must sit on to attend a play or a concert in the school gymnasium. Yes, I said "on" in this context. But there are many other kinds of chairs including (as you suggest) upholstered armchairs, wheelchairs, and office chairs. The design may vary, according to the socioeconomic status of the user &/or on how much $$$ the owner is willing to invest. For the sake of brevity any or all of the above may be referred to simply as "chairs". I'm inclined to use "in" if the chair has both a back rest & full arm rests and if there is a human being occupying it. OTOH Dallas or I might say e.g. "I found the xxx you were looking for & put it on your chair." In such cases, whatever it is doesn't fill the chair & the design of the latter is irrelevant.... :-)




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Anton Shepelev on Sat Mar 26 21:06:38 2022
    Hi, Anton! Recently you wrote in a message to Anton Shepelev:

    In Louse H. Briesemester's "Island Winds",


    Uh... "louse" is the singular of "lice". If you mean "Louise", that is AFAIK a feminine variant of "Louis" often used in English. Either way I am unable to find any reference to this author from where I sit. I see there's a shop on Prince Edward Island (+/- 4000 miles away) called "Island Winds" and I see there's a school in Texas named after A.J. Briesemeister.

    Not to worry. I had to keep checking my own spelling there.... :-)



    I came upon another interesting nominal use of `part':

    And barometers are considered a part of the standard
    equipment of every home.

    I called it interesting because I should have omitted the
    indefinite article.


    Should you? I see that in a reply to Alexander you mentioned a head Which had somehow been disconnected from various other parts of the same body. But thanks to Miss Langwidge I'm reminded of the words of a 19th century poem:


    I am a part of all that I have met.
    -- Alfred, Lord Tennyson


    Nowadays folks tend to use as few words as possible, and I would have omitted the indefinite article there too. OTOH I notice that the extra letters others don't want to waste often reappear in expressions such as "at this point time" or "off of", which both I & US grammarians consider to be redundant. :-Q




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    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Anton Shepelev@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Mon Mar 28 15:49:54 2022
    Ardith Hinton:

    But there are many other kinds of chairs [...]

    `of chair' (singular), I will dare to remark.

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    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Anton Shepelev on Thu Mar 31 20:46:16 2022
    Hi, Anton! Recently I wrote in a message to you:

    the extra letters others don't want to waste often
    reappear in expressions such as "at this point time"


    What I meant to say was "at this point in time", although I wouldn't otherwise say it myself. But while I'm at it I'll give you another example of what I see & hear around these parts. Since the area where I live borders +/- on the Pacific Ocean I am told every so often that a shoe with a human foot in it has been found washed up on a nearby beach. IOW your example of "a severed head" is okay with me when the associated body parts can't be found... [grin].




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Anton Shepelev on Fri May 6 00:06:40 2022
    Hi, Anton! Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

    But there are many other kinds of chairs [...]

    `of chair' (singular), I will dare to remark.


    Sometimes people do say things like that, but AFAIC it makes sense to use countable nouns in agreement under many... if not most... circumstances in which I see no obvious reason for trying to improve the language.

    I'll dare to remark that there is a traditional folk song recorded by Jimmie Rodgers & others which asks "How many kinds of sweet flowers grow in an English country garden?" As I've noticed before WRT folk songs the wording is variable. In this case the grammatical structure apparently isn't. And I see the same pattern when I look up "all kinds of" in THE FREE DICTIONARY.... :-)




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)