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Thread ID: 58957 2005-06-17 07:17:00 Need help on clarifying some English words Renmoo (66) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
364661 2005-06-18 22:59:00 "The recipe suggested adding the zest of a lemon to the cake"

Noun:

1: Flavor or interest; piquancy.
The outermost part of the rind of an orange, lemon, or other citrus fruit, used as flavoring.

2: Spirited enjoyment; gusto:
Thought he asked for the context.As in..he has a zest for life. 		Cicero (40)
364662 2005-06-18 23:46:00 You might be interested in this page ( . wsu . edu/~brians/errors/index . html" target="_blank">www . wsu . edu), James, "Common Errors in English" .

I quite like the author's "aims for the site":

Quote:

What is an error in English?

The concept of language errors is a fuzzy one . I’ll leave to linguists the technical definitions . Here we’re concerned only with deviations from the standard use of English as judged by sophisticated users such as professional writers, editors, teachers, and literate executives and personnel officers . The aim of this site is to help you avoid low grades, lost employment opportunities, lost business, and titters of amusement at the way you write or speak .


But isn’t one person’s mistake another’s standard usage?

Often enough, but if your standard usage causes other people to consider you stupid or ignorant, you may want to consider changing it . You have the right to express yourself in any manner you please, but if you wish to communicate effectively, you should use nonstandard English only when you intend to, rather than fall into it because you don’t know any better .
My emphasis is in bold . 		FoxyMX (5)
364663 2005-06-18 23:47:00 He did it with great zest.

Here in the US, we have a soap bar called "Zest". I submit the following sentence use for the word:

"He washed his (supply favorite body part here) with ZEST". 		SurferJoe46 (51)
364664 2005-06-18 23:53:00 Dear Metla:

quoting you: English crusaders make me laugh (nice use of bold btw, does that mean your views are more worthy?,Extra weight added?)

Anyhow, If the english speaking world suddenly all (every last person) started to "leet speak" for example what would this do to the world?

Sorry to infuriate you . . I have stated before that with my eyesight failing, I use the bold text to be able to read things . . . it's a shame I didn't get your permission to use it, and am considering asking your permission for that now . . . NOT!



In that case you would be better served by locking your browser into a font and minimum size to suit . 		Metla (12)
364665 2005-06-19 00:39:00 Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:

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?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language . There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple . English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France .

Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat . We take English for granted . But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig .

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese . So one moose, 2 meese? Oneindex, 2 indices?

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend . If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane . In what language do people:

Recite at a play and play at a recital?

Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?

Have noses that run and feet that smell?
Drive on the parkway and park on the driveway?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on .

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all . That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible . 		Strommer (42)
364666 2005-06-19 01:48:00 Okay, thanks for the zest thing . Another question to ponder over:

1) The soldiers had died for the glory of their country .
2) The soldiers had died of glory for their country .

Which is right and which is not?

Cheers :) 		Renmoo (66)
364667 2005-06-19 02:09:00 Strictly, neither. :) 2) is bad English. 1) is bad ethics. Graham L (2)
364668 2005-06-19 03:08:00 Strictly, neither. :) 2) is bad English. 1) is bad ethics.
Are you saying you would prefer Hitler to Helen?You don't have to answer that,it is a tricky question. :) 		Cicero (40)
364669 2005-06-19 08:48:00 Anymore suggestions? Renmoo (66)
364670 2005-06-19 09:30:00 Nice one Graham L. Totally in concordance. mark c (247)
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