Search results for 'tag:Idioms tag:Sample' matching tags 'Idioms' and 'Sample'

Re: die of/from enterovirus

Seraphin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:21:52 GMT

a quote from a previous post

M-W's Dictionary of English Usage comments:

"From as far back as 1881, there have been varying pronouncements as to which prepositions may be used with which objects after the verbÂ die.Â Sometimes disapproval is expressed of one preposition or another; Vizetelly 1906 and Copperud 1964, 1970., 1980 do not likeÂ from, and Ayres 1881 and Jensen 1935 do not likeÂ with.Â Since as many specifically approve these two prepositions as object to them, there cannot be much of a question of propriety here.Â But there is still the question of idiom.Â Here we have some sample texts in which prepositions are used with die in various senses.Â Â OfÂ seems to be the most commonly used:

dying of kidney disease
died of too much love
die of horror
dying of inanition
died of starvation

died from an infection
died from lack of enthusiasm
died from too much doubt

died for lack of support

died with pneumonia
died with the cholera

died through neglect."

take his mutton

femmy — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:20:21 GMT

Hi everyone,

I'm new here. I hope I can learn much from this forum. I'm currently reading the novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (has anyone here read this?), and I find many phrases and idioms and sentence structures that I'm not familiar with. I hope it's okay if I post here whenever I come across one of these.

The first one I want to ask here is the phrase "take his mutton". Is this an idiom or is it intended as a literal phrase? Here are some sample sentences:

"Oh, yes!" said Mr Drawlight. "The Glasshouse-street boiling-cellar is where Davey and Lucas occasionally take their mutton, as I dare say you know."
On days when Mr Norrell did not dine abroad Mr Drawlight took his mutton at Mr Norrell's house in Hanover-square.

Thanks!

Re: PIN Number

Vanyatka — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 17:50:26 GMT

Thanks, Clive.

I've just been thinking about why PIN Number is more used than, for example, PC Computer, or LCD Displays... Hm... No, people actually say LCD displays! Just discovered another one sample. In case of PIN, the word itself has other meanings, used as a noun or as well as a verb. So adding Number probably clarifies the exact meaning. Thinking about LCD Displays, the only another meaning of LCD that comes to mind is connected to drugs, so it is very unlikely to be confused with an electronic device
Another idiom? And how about DVD/CD Disk? Used all the time.

Re: How can you tell whether someone is a non-native speaker?

julielai — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 22:38:16 GMT

Just out of curiosity, Mr. P, how do you distinguish a native speaker who's learned a non-standard form of English from a decent non-native speaker? (e.g. How can you tell if a speaker born in India, Singapore or other Asian countries is native?)

MrPedantic wrote:

1. Discrepancies of register. A non-native speaker's English may be impeccable, for the most part; but slight failures of tone or register are most noticeable, in impeccable English. For instance, the non-native may use a word which a native speaker of that kind of English would never use in that context. Or a word may be used in a grammatical but unusual way. The commonest words are the most treacherous, in this connection: "quite", "nice", etc.

2. Absence of context. It's very difficult to provide sample sentences or chat for any length of time without revealing something about your background. When non-native speakers are writing naturally, they reveal something of their native background. When they are writing carefully, however, and perhaps do not wish to be taken for a native speaker, they reveal nothing. There may be literary references, for instance; but the little everyday details are missing.

3. Literary echoes. Sometimes non-native speakers use phrases they have come across in Shakespeare, Dickens, etc., or unwittingly catch the rhythm of well known writers.

4. Overly pure or consistent diction. By which I mean the kind of vocabulary we find in e.g. Jowett's translation of Plato. Non-native speakers who have reached a certain proficiency often dislike recent additions to everyday vocabulary, for instance.

5. Rhythm. Non-native speakers often bring a little of their native rhythm into English. The clauses may be not quite the right length; the pauses may sound mannered.

6. Grammatical regularity combined with inappropriate idioms. Grammar is the weakness of native speakers; idiom is the weakness of non-native speakers.

Maybe other members will have other ideas.

MrP

Re: How can you tell whether someone is a non-native speaker?

MrPedantic — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 00:18:41 GMT

Hello EU

Here are some things that occur to me:

1. Discrepancies of register. A non-native speaker's English may be impeccable, for the most part; but slight failures of tone or register are most noticeable, in impeccable English. For instance, the non-native may use a word which a native speaker of that kind of English would never use in that context. Or a word may be used in a grammatical but unusual way. The commonest words are the most treacherous, in this connection: "quite", "nice", etc.

2. Absence of context. It's very difficult to provide sample sentences or chat for any length of time without revealing something about your background. When non-native speakers are writing naturally, they reveal something of their native background. When they are writing carefully, however, and perhaps do not wish to be taken for a native speaker, they reveal nothing. There may be literary references, for instance; but the little everyday details are missing.

3. Literary echoes. Sometimes non-native speakers use phrases they have come across in Shakespeare, Dickens, etc., or unwittingly catch the rhythm of well known writers.

4. Overly pure or consistent diction. By which I mean the kind of vocabulary we find in e.g. Jowett's translation of Plato. Non-native speakers who have reached a certain proficiency often dislike recent additions to everyday vocabulary, for instance.

5. Rhythm. Non-native speakers often bring a little of their native rhythm into English. The clauses may be not quite the right length; the pauses may sound mannered.

6. Grammatical regularity combined with inappropriate idioms. Grammar is the weakness of native speakers; idiom is the weakness of non-native speakers.

Maybe other members will have other ideas.

MrP

Re: die of

Mister Micawber — Tue, 02 May 2006 14:37:23 GMT

Yes. He died of gunshot wounds is certainly an external cause.

M-W's Dictionary of English Usage comments:

"From as far back as 1881, there have been varying pronouncements as to which prepositions may be used with which objects after the verb die. Sometimes disapproval is expressed of one preposition or another; Vizetelly 1906 and Copperud 1964, 1970., 1980 do not like from, and Ayres 1881 and Jensen 1935 do not like with. Since as many specifically approve these two prepositions as object to them, there cannot be much of a question of propriety here. But there is still the question of idiom. Here we have some sample texts in which prepositions are used with die in various senses. Of seems to be the most commonly used:

dying of kidney disease
died of too much love
die of horror
dying of inanition
died of starvation

died from an infection
died from lack of enthusiasm
died from too much doubt

died for lack of support

died with pneumonia
died with the cholera

died through neglect."