AuthorTopic: To our German-speaking friends (help mastering English)  (Read 4141 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline webwalkerTopic starter

  • Owner of the post with highest quality
  • Moderator
  • Active Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1.342
  • my Votes: +37/-8
  • Gender: Male
  • The Rune after "Jah" should be "WOHL!" yes?
    • Poke This Member
    • My Inhabitant Post.
To our German-speaking friends (help mastering English)
« on: November 12, 2005, 05:12:11 pm »
Bridging the English  German gulf is easier with help. 
English is an illogical, almost irrational language, and it defies comprehension. 
Just reading what my teen-agers write is enough to convince me of this.

So, anybody who is baffled with things of English grammar and related, post here what you think is "correct" English, we'll gladly help polish your mastery of the language.
(note, we're not professional grammarians, but we'll do our best).

Offline Olfmo

  • HammAdmin
  • Active Member
  • *
  • Posts: 5.963
  • my Votes: +182/-92
  • Gender: Male
    • Poke This Member
    • My Inhabitant Thread
Re: To our German-speaking friends (help mastering English)
« Reply #1 on: November 12, 2005, 05:55:36 pm »
nice idea :)

i don't have any grammer questions right now but if you see grammatical or typographical (i hope that's a word^^) mistakes in my posts feel free to write a pm to me so i can figure out what i did wrong because i'm glad to improve my english skills :)

Offline waflob

  • Active Member
  • *
  • Posts: 27
  • my Votes: +1/-1
  • Gender: Male
  • CCC European HC
    • Poke This Member
Re: To our German-speaking friends (help mastering English)
« Reply #2 on: November 14, 2005, 01:00:24 pm »
Yep - I usually give people examples of just how illogical and irrational English really is ...
for instance

threw
through
though
thought
trough
tough

not to mention words that are pronounced the same, but spelt differently
eg

to too two
so sow sew

you get the point :-)

Offline webwalkerTopic starter

  • Owner of the post with highest quality
  • Moderator
  • Active Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1.342
  • my Votes: +37/-8
  • Gender: Male
  • The Rune after "Jah" should be "WOHL!" yes?
    • Poke This Member
    • My Inhabitant Post.
Re: To our German-speaking friends (help mastering English)
« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2005, 01:27:10 pm »
I've seen rather large humor pieces showing the irrationalities of English.  Some are rather hard to read.

Mine reads: Norman Knight dates Saxon Barmaid; 9 months later, English is born.  Both parents deny responsibility.  Makes its living by dumpster-diving in the trash-bins of other languages.

e.g. Q.E.D (q.e.d)

I shoot my bow from the bow of the ship.
I read today what I read yesterday.
The wind will wind the flag around the pole.
Who will lead us to the lead mine?

(and then there's chat-1337 speak, which my soul doth hate.)

Offline Jiiek

  • Active Member
  • *
  • Posts: 103
  • my Votes: +4/-3
  • Gender: Male
    • Poke This Member
    • Das OWL Indiependance-Board
Re: To our German-speaking friends (help mastering English)
« Reply #4 on: November 14, 2005, 03:00:12 pm »
If someone doesn't know the english word

They can use Leo

http://dict.leo.org/?lang=de&lp=ende

A great Dictionary
« Last Edit: November 14, 2005, 05:27:04 pm by webwalker »

Offline waflob

  • Active Member
  • *
  • Posts: 27
  • my Votes: +1/-1
  • Gender: Male
  • CCC European HC
    • Poke This Member
Re: To our German-speaking friends (help mastering English)
« Reply #5 on: November 15, 2005, 12:53:23 pm »
there's also a wonderful page, where the rules of grammar are listed. Each sentence breaks the rule described in the sentence.

eg

Prepositions are not to be used for ending sentences with.
Puns are only for groan ups.

etc etc etc

 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
1 Replies
1837 Views
Last post October 27, 2004, 03:45:10 am
by ChaosEmpire
3 Replies
2449 Views
Last post January 04, 2005, 01:04:12 pm
by Celial
51 Replies
14188 Views
Last post August 31, 2005, 08:34:13 am
by ChaosEmpire
8 Replies
8997 Views
Last post January 22, 2010, 08:44:48 am
by bdpf
4 Replies
10268 Views
Last post April 23, 2009, 06:48:23 pm
by med.Hamstar