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Why are the British confused about us calling bread rolls “biscuits” when they call bread rolls “puddings”?
We aren’t, and we don’t. You are misinformed. In Britain, the word ‘biscuit’ means a hard baked cookie, like a graham cracker. Since this is the normal use of this word in the UK, we don’t automatically think of the plain scone-type baked goods for which Americans use the word ‘biscuit’. US EnglishRead more
We aren’t, and we don’t. You are misinformed.
In Britain, the word ‘biscuit’ means a hard baked cookie, like a graham cracker. Since this is the normal use of this word in the UK, we don’t automatically think of the plain scone-type baked goods for which Americans use the word ‘biscuit’. US English is a different dialect of English, and there are many words which have different meanings from U.K. English (jumper, braces, suspenders, tap etc.)
What on earth makes you think we call bread rolls ‘puddings’? In the U.K., pudding is any dessert, not just the blancmange-stuff which Americans use that word for. It is correct in the U.K. to say “I’m having apple pie for pudding.”.
See lessHow do native speakers tell I’m foreign based on my English alone?
Because non-native speakers use English differently as compared to native speakers. It’s… it’s as simple as that. I can also usually tell within the first few moments of talking to somebody on the internet whether they are from a native English-speaking country or not. They’ll use slightly differentRead more
Because non-native speakers use English differently as compared to native speakers. It’s… it’s as simple as that.
I can also usually tell within the first few moments of talking to somebody on the internet whether they are from a native English-speaking country or not. They’ll use slightly different phrasing. Use of idioms is also a dead giveaway.
I dunno. It’s usually patently obvious. This doesn’t make a non-native English speaker’s English bad by any stretch; just different.
I can also generally tell where native English speakers are from as well, at least in a general sense. Canadians tend to sound like Americans (even in writing) but spell more like the Brits. British persons obviously use British English and will use British colloquiums and the word ‘whilst’ often will pop up. Australians lean heavy on the word ‘mate’ a lot of the time. Americans use American spellings and sound like Americans.
And so on.
See lessIs this statement, “i see him last night” can be understood as “I saw him last night”?
No, ‘I see him last night’ is always incorrect and will be only just barely understandable. It is a very serious and basic error, and it will be tiring for a native speaker to converse with someone who speaks like this, because they will constantly have to be remembering what the person really meansRead more
No, ‘I see him last night’ is always incorrect and will be only just barely understandable. It is a very serious and basic error, and it will be tiring for a native speaker to converse with someone who speaks like this, because they will constantly have to be remembering what the person really means. It will not be ‘immediately obvious without thinking about it’.
Someone just asked this question recently, and I replied, saying that ‘I see him last night’ is never correct. That is exactly what i meant.
See lessGoogle Analytics reads like a seismic chart lately
My clients have seen big changes the last couple of weeks, but all for the good thankfully. The “Fred” update was a biggie and it looks like some websites that have massive ads with little quality content got hit hard. I saw one post where their traffic plummeted 95% and they are virtually invisibleRead more
My clients have seen big changes the last couple of weeks, but all for the good thankfully. The “Fred” update was a biggie and it looks like some websites that have massive ads with little quality content got hit hard. I saw one post where their traffic plummeted 95% and they are virtually invisible in search now……it is times like these I am thrilled I only do white-hat work….sometimes I scratch my head and am tempted when I see competitors outrank me with crappy sites with no backlinks…but I have hope their day will come! ?
See lessWhat is a nice way to end an interview that is clearly going badly?
Well, you probably are ending things politely so I’m leaving that part out. What I have experienced and have tried to apply since it happened to me as an applicant is offering advice. Interviews are a great experience not only for getting a job but for finding your weaknesses and knowledge gaps. IfRead more
Well, you probably are ending things politely so I’m leaving that part out. What I have experienced and have tried to apply since it happened to me as an applicant is offering advice. Interviews are a great experience not only for getting a job but for finding your weaknesses and knowledge gaps.
If you are not willing to move on with the interview you can openly say it, but sugar coating that hit with some advice is a nice thing to do.
See lessDoes Google force employees who have offers from Facebook to leave immediately?
I know people who left Google for Facebook, they were not walked out. Why would they be walked out of Google? Because facebook competing with Google? I have left Google twice, both times for Apple, in both cases Apple was a competing organization, in all cases I had a good talk with my managers up aRead more
I know people who left Google for Facebook, they were not walked out. Why would they be walked out of Google? Because facebook competing with Google?
I have left Google twice, both times for Apple, in both cases Apple was a competing organization, in all cases I had a good talk with my managers up and HR discying opportunities in Google, in both cases I was not escorted, I was given two weeks to talk more and to complete my project. I left in good terms with all my friends, managers and Google. Google is very fair organization, it treats people extremely well . I can imagine that some department might be supersecret and they will do it, but I was working for core search quality which is secretive too and I was asked to leave.
See lessIs there an English equivalent to the French expression: “il faut d’abord apprendre à marcher avant de courir”?
“you need to learn to walk before you can run” is a well known expression in English. It’s perfectly natural in English.
“you need to learn to walk before you can run” is a well known expression in English. It’s perfectly natural in English.
See lessHow to approach applying for a job at a company owned by a friend?
I’ve had two times I’ve gotten involved in new business start-ups by friends, and both times it ended badly. Not horrible, we were screaming at each other, friendship ruined forever badly, but things didn’t work out, I wanted out of this deal but now it’s awkward badly. Any time something like thisRead more
I’ve had two times I’ve gotten involved in new business start-ups by friends, and both times it ended badly. Not horrible, we were screaming at each other, friendship ruined forever badly, but things didn’t work out, I wanted out of this deal but now it’s awkward badly. Any time something like this comes up, I find myself thinking, If this doesn’t work out for whatever reason, is it going to ruin our friendship? And do I value the job or whatever the deal is more than I value the friendship?
I think the best you can do is talk to your friend, tell him you saw the ad, you think you might be qualified, etc, but you realize it could be awkward, what do you think, I really don’t need this job so if you say you think it’s a bad idea it’s not like I’ll be unemployed and living in a cardboard box, etc. As someone else said, I’d try to make it easy for him to say please don’t.
See lessHow do I tell my new employer that I can’t use the computer they gave me?
The company I work for does not allow personal computers on the network. It’s viewed as a breach of network security. Personally, if I find myself in your situation, I would make the case that the computer provided to me is not up to standard and will impede my productivity, and request a new machinRead more
The company I work for does not allow personal computers on the network. It’s viewed as a breach of network security. Personally, if I find myself in your situation, I would make the case that the computer provided to me is not up to standard and will impede my productivity, and request a new machine.
I wouldn’t recommend using your personal computer for work regardless. If you want to install stuff on your own machine, for instance, you don’t want to have to worry about how it’s going to affect your work.
See lessWhich graduate program should I choose – SUNY Buffalo or SUNY Binghamton?
Both are great schools, but one is likely a better fit for you. The best way to find out is to do a little more research in the real world. Visit campus, talk to faculty and grad students, and get a sense of what the area is like. Your highly evolved brain is like an amazing computer that can procesRead more
Both are great schools, but one is likely a better fit for you. The best way to find out is to do a little more research in the real world. Visit campus, talk to faculty and grad students, and get a sense of what the area is like. Your highly evolved brain is like an amazing computer that can process vast amounts of information simultaneously to help you decide; i.e. some call it “that gut feeling”. If after all that you’re still undecided, flip a coin. While it’s in the air you’ll know which way you are hoping it will land: follow that instinct.
In the end, it will be your attitude and hard work – not the school – that will allow you to follow your life’s passion and with it, lead a life filled with meaning and happiness. Good luck, and if you choose Binghamton, stop by to say hello 😉
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