• To find a subject for talking

    From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to All on Tue May 18 10:29:44 2021

    Hi, All!

    Maybe our honorable teachers can give a homework for us? Do you have school tests on Grammar rules etc? Perhaps, it would be fun to make them out. The corrected places we can mark by underlines marks. :)

    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 Thu May 20 23:16:58 2021
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to All:

    Maybe our honorable teachers can give a homework
    for us?


    Ahh. There's an invitation I can't refuse... [chuckle].

    Homework, BTW, is not countable but homework assignments are.



    Do you have school tests on Grammar rules etc?


    Tests, no. A grade 9/10 grammar textbook which includes questions, yes. I may be able to get some ideas from it. Meanwhile:


    1) "Etc." is an abbreviation which calls for a period, but
    you're also asking a question here. AFAIC it's okay to
    use a period followed by a question mark in such cases.


    2) Can you pluralize these words?

    tooth

    lens

    cactus

    goose

    moose

    mouse

    brother-in-law

    wife

    woman

    index

    memorandum

    millennium


    3) What corrections or improvements would you suggest here?

    Me and Ruth went shopping yesterday.

    I bought this car off of my friend Pete.

    Hopefully it won't rain tomorrow.

    I only have $20 in my pocket.

    The reason I didn't hand in my assignment is
    because I forgot it at home.

    For more information or to buy now, call xxx.



    Perhaps, it would be fun to make them out.


    I hope you enjoy the above.... :-))




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Fri May 21 10:41:02 2021
    Hi, Ardith Hinton! -> Alexander Koryagin
    I read your message from 20.05.2021 23:16


    Maybe our honorable teachers can give a homework for us?
    Ahh. There's an invitation I can't refuse... [chuckle].
    Homework, BTW, is not countable but homework assignments are.

    A good piece of information. ;-)

    Do you have school tests on Grammar rules etc?

    Tests, no. A grade 9/10 grammar textbook which includes questions,
    yes. I may be able to get some ideas from it. Meanwhile:


    1) "Etc." is an abbreviation which calls for a period, but
    you're also asking a question here. AFAIC it's okay to
    use a period followed by a question mark in such cases.

    But when I asked my question with "etc" I didn't use quotes, did I? So my quostion was correct? Another sentence can be:
    Do you have a special rule on "etc."?
    Also: AFAIK


    2) Can you pluralize these words?

    I will not ask Google. ;)

    tooth _teeth_

    lens _it is the plural form_

    cactus _cactuses_ (although I vaguely remember there also is another form). But my variant is also correct, is it?

    goose _geese_

    moose (a new word for me) _the same form in plural_

    mouse _mice_

    brother-in-law _brothers-in-law_

    wife _wives_

    woman _women_

    index _indexes_

    memorandum _memorandums_

    millennium _millenniums_


    3) What corrections or improvements would you suggest here?

    Me and Ruth went shopping yesterday.

    Hm... _Ruth and me went for shopping yesterday?_


    I bought this car off of my friend Pete.

    _I've bought this car from my friend Pete_


    Hopefully it won't rain tomorrow.

    _no idea_ maybe a comma after "hopefully".


    I only have $20 in my pocket.

    _??_ I have only (got) $20 in my pocket.

    The reason I didn't hand in my assignment is
    because I forgot it at home.

    If we don't speak about a past event we use The Present Perfect Tense:
    _The reason I haven't handed in my assignment is because I forgot it at home.

    if we speak about a past event:
    _The reason I didn't handed in my assignment is because I had forgotten it at home.


    For more information or to buy now, call xxx.

    _For more information or buying it now, call xxx_.


    Perhaps, it would be fun to make them out.
    I hope you enjoy the above.... :-))

    I like it. And I always thought that in the world there should be a special schools for the people who don't suffering in there and really wants to learn. ;-)

    Bye, Ardith!
    Alexander Koryagin
    english_tutor 2021

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    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Alexander Koryagin on Tue Jun 22 23:58:04 2021
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

    Homework, BTW, is not countable but homework assignments
    are.

    A good piece of information. ;-)


    Glad you found it useful.... :-)



    "Etc." is an abbreviation which calls for a period, but
    you're also asking a question here. AFAIC it's okay to
    use a period followed by a question mark in such cases.

    But when I asked my question with "etc" I didn't use
    quotes, did I?


    No, you didn't. Perhaps my response was confusing... but I see you know how to employ them in making reference to a word or an abbreviation. :-)



    So my quostion was correct?
    |question


    Looking at the punctuation, I'd have written:

    Do you have school tests on grammar rules etc.?



    Another sentence can be:
    Do you have a special rule on "etc."?


    Yes, that works. And no, I don't. I understand native speakers of English find it easier to get the letters in the right order, however, if they know "etc." is short for "et" (and) + "cetera" (the rest).... :-)



    Also: AFAIK


    Uh-huh. AFAIC & AFAIK are similar but not identical.

    AFAIC = As Far As I'm Concerned, meaning I am stating an opinion or personal preference. (While I've seen no evidence of it myself I imagine some folks might argue that because the periods are often left out of various other abbreviations nowadays they can leave out the period with "etc." too. And not evverybody agrees about how to handle end punctuation in various cases). :-))

    AFAIK = As Far As I Know, meaning I'm stating a fact as I see it.




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Thu Jun 24 11:00:24 2021

    Hi, Ardith Hinton! -> Alexander Koryagin
    I read your message from 22.06.2021 23:58

    Homework, BTW, is not countable but homework assignments are.
    A good piece of information.

    Glad you found it useful....

    You are, indeed! It's shame for me that I am so lazy and don't ask you for more. :) Maybe because of my melancholic mood last time.

    "Etc." is an abbreviation which calls for a period, but you're
    also asking a question here. AFAIC it's okay to use a period
    followed by a question mark in such cases.
    But when I asked my question with "etc" I didn't use quotes, did
    I?

    No, you didn't. Perhaps my response was confusing... but I see you
    know how to employ them in making reference to a word or an
    abbreviation.

    So my question was correct?
    Looking at the punctuation, I'd have written:
    Do you have school tests on grammar rules etc.?

    I'll try to remember it. Once upon a time I wanted very much to learn English punctuation. ;)

    Another sentence can be: Do you have a special rule on "etc."?

    Yes, that works. And no, I don't. I understand native speakers of
    English find it easier to get the letters in the right order,
    however, if they know "etc." is short for "et" (and) + "cetera"
    (the rest)....

    If I say that question verbally, should I mention the full stop after "etc"?

    Also: AFAIK

    Uh-huh. AFAIC & AFAIK are similar but not identical.

    AFAIC = As Far As I'm Concerned, meaning I am stating an opinion or personal preference. (While I've seen no evidence of it myself I
    imagine some folks might argue that because the periods are often
    left out of various other abbreviations nowadays they can leave out
    the period with "etc." too. And not evverybody agrees about how to
    handle end punctuation in various cases). :-))

    Does AFAIC mean "As for me"? For instance, "AFAIC, I never read yellow press".

    Bye, Ardith!
    Alexander Koryagin
    english_tutor 2021

    ---
    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Alexander Koryagin on Wed Jun 30 23:58:12 2021
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

    It's shame for me that I am so lazy and don't ask
    you for more. :)


    Your usual pace is about right for me. I often wish I could answer more messages, but there are only so many hours in a day. :-Q



    Maybe because of my melancholic mood last time.


    ... while I was busy editing a rather lengthy document & not saying much in E_T, so it all worked out. I hope you're feeling better now, anyway.



    Looking at the punctuation, I'd have written:
    Do you have school tests on grammar rules etc.?

    I'll try to remember it. Once upon a time I wanted
    very much to learn English punctuation. ;)


    It can be quite a challenge because at advanced levels US & British conventions are different... and I've yet to find any resource which examines both in the same degree of detail. As a Canadian, however, I'm at liberty to "mix & match" in my efforts to identify what works best for me... [wry grin].



    Do you have a special rule on "etc."?

    [...]

    If I say that question verbally, should I mention
    the full stop after "etc"?


    When we say "et cetera" aloud, we don't abbreviate it.

    We do use various other abbreviations when we're speaking aloud. In some cases (e.g. RSVP) we spell out the initial letters. In other cases (e.g. GUI, pronounced "gooey") we treat abbreviations as if they were words.... :-)

    While many sources regard "period" & "full stop" as synonymous, BTW, my inclination is to think of a period as a punctuation mark (.) which is used in various ways but may be called a "full stop" at the end of a sentence. I'm very careful to make such distinctions in my own writing. However, it seems I am often overruled because double spacing isn't allowed in programming jargon. While it try to make my writing understandable to my audience, I am constantly thwarted by programmers who believe they can make it more efficient... (sigh).



    (While I've seen no evidence of it myself I imagine some
    folks might argue that because the periods are often left
    out of various other abbreviations nowadays they can leave
    out the period with "etc." too. And not evverybody agrees
    about how to handle end punctuation in various cases).


    Oops! I added a sentence at the last minute there & probably should have waited until the next day to post my reply. I made two errors... but the one which really matters, for purposes of this discussion, is the order of the end punctuation. "And... in various cases" belongs inside the parentheses, as does the sentence immediately before it. With corrections:

    (While I've seen no evidence of it myself I imagine some
    folks might argue that because the periods are often left
    out of various other abbreviations nowadays they can leave
    out the period with "etc." too. And not everybody agrees
    about how to handle end punctuation in various cases.)



    Does AFAIC mean "As for me"? For instance, "AFAIC, I never
    read yellow press".


    The meaning is very much the same, but I'd use these alternatives in different circumstances. I'm reminded here of a quotation from the KJV of the Bible in which Joshua explains what he intends to do regardless of what others may or may not decide to do: "Choose you this day whom ye will serve [...] as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." I figure he's making a personal statement akin to your example. But if you ask me to comment on what somebody else has done or on a point of grammar I might say "AFAIC they should lock him (or her) in jail & throw away the key" or "AFAIC you can say XXX or YYY". :-)




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Alexander Koryagin on Thu Jul 1 23:50:16 2021
    Hi again, Alexander! Continuing my previous reply to you:

    Can you pluralize these words?

    I will not ask Google. ;)


    This is an "open-book" exam with no time limit, meaning you are at liberty to consult Uncle Google or not as you prefer... [chuckle].



    tooth _teeth_


    Correct.



    lens _it is the plural form_


    No... the plural is "lenses".

    In a wonderful example of synchronicity, you posted an example not long afterwards about somebody who lost a contact lens during a cricket game. Whenever I learn a new word I often notice it again somewhere else... [grin].



    cactus _cactuses_ (although I vaguely remember there also
    is another form). But my variant is also correct, is it?


    Yes. I'd say "cacti", but "cactuses" is widely accepted too. :-)



    goose _geese_


    Correct.



    moose (a new word for me) _the same form in plural_


    Ah. I should have guessed the term would be unfamiliar, but you're right. It's a species of large deer (Alces alces) found in North America & in Eurasia. When the inhabitants of the New World were asked "What's that?" they answered by saying something which sounded +/- like "moose". When people from Sweden were asked the same question they answered with something which sounded +/- like "elk". As a result, "moose" = "elk" in British English. :-)



    mouse _mice_

    brother-in-law _brothers-in-law_

    wife _wives_

    woman _women_


    All correct.



    index _indexes_

    memorandum _memorandums_

    millennium _millenniums_


    Yes... or indices, memoranda, and millennia.


    9/10 correct! Very good.... :-)




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Anton Shepelev@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Fri Jul 2 13:54:54 2021
    Ardith Hinton:

    While many sources regard "period" & "full stop" as
    synonymous, BTW, my inclination is to think of a period
    as a punctuation mark (.) which is used in various ways
    but may be called a "full stop" at the end of a
    sentence.

    This distiction between the punctuation character and one of
    its functions is very useful, do hold on fast to it.

    I'm very careful to make such distinctions in my own
    writing.

    I wish I did, too. We must strive to use words that best
    express the tints, shades, and nuaces of our intended
    meaning, lest we lose those fine niceties -- first from our
    thoughts, and then from our language.

    However, it seems I am often overruled because double
    spacing isn't allowed in programming jargon.

    Do you mean double spacing between sentences? That's absurd
    it should not be allowed, because *roff -- the oldest and
    nerdiest document-formatting system -- has natural support
    for it. It was desinged and implemented by die-hard
    UNIXoids. The famous Kernighan & Ritchie participated in the
    implementation and then wrote in it their masterpiece about
    C. I still prefer *roff to LaTeX and other modern document
    processors.

    While it try to make my writing understandable to my
    audience, I am constantly thwarted by programmers who
    believe they can make it more efficient... (sigh).

    As my boss told a colleague who asked me to help her with
    transation into English, "Anton is much better at
    translating from Russian into C#." I know very few
    programmers who care about their (natural) language and have
    a taste for prose. Their attempts to refactor (to use
    programming jargon) your text may destroy it. But their
    optionion of what is said wrong and unclear is often
    correct, only the writer should be the one to make
    amendments!

    ---
    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Mon Jul 5 13:09:54 2021

    Hi, Ardith Hinton! -> Alexander Koryagin
    I read your message from 30.06.2021 23:58

    It's shame for me that I am so lazy and don't ask you for more.

    Your usual pace is about right for me. I often wish I could answer
    more messages, but there are only so many hours in a day.: - Q

    Probably I could ask more if were a retiree. But it will not be soon. Putin doesn't have money to pay pensions, and he decided to rise the retirement age. ;-)

    <skipped>

    While many sources regard "period" & "full stop" as synonymous,
    BTW, my inclination is to think of a period as a punctuation mark
    (.) which is used in various ways but may be called a "full stop"
    at the end of a sentence. I'm very careful to make such
    distinctions in my own writing. However, it seems I am often
    overruled because double spacing isn't allowed in programming
    jargon. While it try to make my writing understandable to my
    audience, I am constantly thwarted by programmers who believe they
    can make it more efficient... (sigh).

    (While I've seen no evidence of it myself I imagine some folks
    might argue that because the periods are often left out of various
    other abbreviations nowadays they can leave out the period
    with "etc." too. And not evverybody agrees about how to handle end
    punctuation in various cases).

    In the Russian language we have the rule that no additional full stop is put at the end of the sentence where the last word is a shorten word with a period.
    But if you see logical and correct "etc.?" then "etc.." is also logical. But I am sure everybody throws the last full stop away.

    Bye, Ardith!
    Alexander Koryagin
    english_tutor 2021

    ---
    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to Anton Shepelev on Mon Jul 5 13:32:18 2021

    Hi, Anton Shepelev! -> Ardith Hinton
    I read your message from 02.07.2021 13:54

    While many sources regard "period" & "full stop" as synonymous,
    BTW, my inclination is to think of a period as a punctuation mark
    (.) which is used in various ways but may be called a "full stop"
    at the end of a sentence.

    This distiction between the punctuation character and one of its
    functions is very useful, do hold on fast to it.

    I'm very careful to make such distinctions in my own writing.

    I wish I did, too. We must strive to use words that best express
    the tints, shades, and nuaces of our intended meaning, lest we lose
    those fine niceties -- first from our thoughts, and then from our language.

    I imagine how Anton, full of energy, sits in the library reading thick English books. Great! ;-)
    --nuances

    Bye, Anton!
    Alexander Koryagin
    english_tutor 2021

    ---
    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Alexander Koryagin on Thu Jul 15 01:09:19 2021
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

    I often wish I could answer more messages, but there
    are only so many hours in a day. :-Q

    Probably I could ask more if were a retiree.


    Hmm. I reckon you can find interesting questions more quickly than I can compose appropriate answers. But when you & others send me scurrying to my reference books & to Uncle Google I'm as happy as a bee in clover... [chuckle].



    But it will not be soon. Putin doesn't have money to pay
    pensions, and he decided to rise the retirement age. ;-)


    There's also been talk of doing likewise in Canada... and for working folk such news may be rather discouraging. OTOH I've known various people over the years who continued working past the usual retirement age because they soon found out their government pension wasn't enough to live on. As schoolteachers Dallas & I contributed to a pension plan at work, but depending on what sort of work a person is engaged in there may or may not be such things available. :-Q


    BTW, "rise" is intransitive & "raise" is transitive:

    The sun rises in the east (or so I was taught).

    If you'd like to say something, please raise your hand.



    In the Russian language we have the rule that no additional
    full stop is put at the end of the sentence where the last
    word is a shorten word with a period.
    |shortened


    Ah. I follow patterns, not rules... but this makes sense to me. The period can do double duty at the end of a sentence. In E_T we often talk about spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. And I use the traditional double space at the end of a sentence to reinforce the idea that I've come to a full stop. :-)



    But if you see logical and correct "etc.?"


    On occasion, yes. When an abbreviation requiring a period is used at the end of a sentence requiring a question mark I wouldn't omit either.... :-)




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Mon Jul 19 22:00:36 2021

    Hi, Ardith Hinton! -> Alexander Koryagin
    I read your message from 15.07.2021 01:09


    -----Beginning of the citation-----
    In the Russian language we have the rule that no additional
    full stop is put at the end of the sentence where the last
    word is a shorten word with a period.
    |shortened


    Ah. I follow patterns, not rules... but this makes sense to
    me. The period can do double duty at the end of a sentence. In E_T we
    often talk about spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. And I use the traditional double space at the end of a sentence to reinforce the idea
    that I've come to a full stop.
    ----- The end of the citation -----

    I thought for a long time what had you meant by "double space at the end
    of a sentence" because my qouter removes double spaces. ;-)

    -----Beginning of the citation-----
    In the Russian language we have the rule that no additional full
    stop is put at the end of the sentence where the last word is a
    shorten word with a period.
    |shortened

    Ah. I follow patterns, not rules... but this makes sense to me. The
    period can do double duty at the end of a sentence. In E_T we often
    talk about spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. And I use the
    traditional double space at the end of a sentence to reinforce the
    idea that I've come to a full stop.
    ----- The end of the citation -----

    Bye, Ardith!
    Alexander Koryagin
    english_tutor 2021

    ---
    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Anton Shepelev on Wed Aug 4 23:20:17 2021
    Hi, Anton! Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

    While many sources regard "period" & "full stop" as
    synonymous, BTW, my inclination is to think of a period
    as a punctuation mark (.) which is used in various ways
    but may be called a "full stop" at the end of a sentence.

    This distiction between the punctuation character and one
    of its functions is very useful, do hold on fast to it.


    Thank you. I intend to.... :-)



    We must strive to use words that best express the tints,
    shades, and nuaces of our intended meaning, lest we lose
    those fine niceties -- first from our thoughts, and then
    from our language.


    Yes. The English language is like a fine musical instrument capable of great precision & sublety in the hands of a skilled player, but in order to become a skilled player one must develop an ear for such niceties & be willing to work at improving one's skill. Fuzzy thinking & imprecise language do seem to go together as often as not. At times I wonder which came first. However, once I've learned the name of something (or someone) I begin to notice details which might otherwise have escaped me... and I know how to look it up.

    Others may ignore such niceties to "fit in". I just read an article in which, after devoting four paragraphs to explaining the differences between yams & sweet potatoes, the author reverts to the nomenclature older members of her family used as soon as she introduces them & their favourite recipes. She justifies this by saying the terms are "generally interchangeable" in the USA, but "many Black cooks" still make the distinction (as do Canadians, BTW). :-)



    However, it seems I am often overruled because double
    spacing isn't allowed in programming jargon.

    Do you mean double spacing between sentences?


    Yes. Opinions are divided nowadays WRT the issue, but it matters to me because my audience in E_T includes many people who are not native speakers of English & for whom the added white space could be helpful. I hear from the employees at the bank & other local businesses that they often feel frustrated because whoever compiled the software they're using has never done *their* job
    ... and I find myself in much the same position. Yes, I know what others mean either way. Like you, however, I don't give up on traditional methods without learning how they worked & how they might still be of use to us. Years ago my parents taught me to "reduce, re-use, and recycle" before we had a slogan like that to induce whomever to accept what their elders could have told them. :-Q




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Anton Shepelev on Wed Aug 4 23:52:57 2021
    Hi again, Anton! This is a continuation of my previous message to you:

    [re double spacing]
    *roff -- the oldest and nerdiest document-formatting
    system -- has natural support for it.


    Nice bit of description! While I know very little about programming some of my favourite people are nerds & in my own way I am too... [chuckle].



    It was desinged and implemented by die-hard UNIXoids.


    Ah, well... UNIXoids are a special breed. I take it this system was designed years ago when folks learned double spacing in typing class. And the authors realized some users might want to communicate with others.... :-)



    As my boss told a colleague who asked me to help her
    with transation into English, "Anton is much better
    at translating from Russian into C#."


    Apart from a few typos & misspellings, which you often recognize ten seconds after they've scanned out (as I do with my own), I'm content with your ability to translate between Russian & English. If other people think you can translate better between Russian & C# I'll admit both are beyond my ken, and I congratulate myself when I can decipher "Russian volka" in your alphabet. :-Q



    I know very few programmers who care about their (natural)
    language and have a taste for prose.


    I am reminded here of someone I tutored in the version of grade nine English modified for the "low & slow" class. Years later he was introduced to me as a programmer by his wife, who didn't realize we knew each other already, but I was surprised because everyone else I knew who did programming seemed to be far more intelligent & capable of writing good prose if necessary. I guess the difference was that computerwise they did more advanced stuff too.... :-)



    Their attempts to refactor (to use programming jargon)


    No problem AFAIC. I studied Latin for four years.... :-))



    your text may destroy it. But their optionion of what
    is said wrong and unclear is often correct, only the
    writer should be the one to make amendments!


    Uh-huh. I don't correct every error you & Alexander make because as often as not you'll do it yourself... and in many cases I'm more interested in what you have to say than in how you say it. But I encourage my students & my friends to ask for clarification if they don't understand what I said.... :-)




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Anton Shepelev@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Thu Aug 5 13:28:58 2021
    Ardith Hinton:

    Do you mean double spacing between sentences?

    Yes. Opinions are divided nowadays WRT the issue, but
    it matters to me because my audience in E_T includes many people
    who are not native speakers of English & for whom the added white
    space could be helpful. I hear from the employees at the bank &
    other local businesses that they often feel frustrated because
    whoever compiled the software they're using has never done
    *their* job .. and I find myself in much the same position. Yes,
    I know what others mean either way. Like you, however, I don't
    give up on traditional methods without learning how they worked &
    how they might still be of use to us.

    Remember the book about witchcraft that the doctor shows to the
    heroine in Suspiria? It has that double spacing between sentences,
    and it looks good!

    Years ago my parents taught me to "reduce, re-use, and recycle"
    before we had a slogan like that to induce whomever to accept
    what their elders could have told them. :-Q

    Life was slower in the past, and many technical innovations were
    gained not so much by disciplined engineering and research,
    but by hard and painful trial and error, like groping in the dark,
    through several generations of masters and craftsmen. Thomas Eddison
    wrote about his method that failure is the discovery another of
    way that does not work. This approach is not always inferrior in
    that in can lead to inventions that modern engineers, going by the
    more direct route, overlook.

    ---
    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to Anton Shepelev on Thu Aug 5 18:14:40 2021

    Hi, Anton Shepelev! -> Ardith Hinton
    I read your message from 05.08.2021 13:28

    Life was slower in the past, and many technical innovations were
    gained not so much by disciplined engineering and research, but by
    hard and painful trial and error, like groping in the dark, through several generations of masters and craftsmen. Thomas Eddison wrote
    about his method that failure is the discovery another of way that
    does not work. This approach is not always inferrior in that in can
    lead to inventions that modern engineers, going by the more direct
    route, overlook.

    It's interesting -- do we use today any of Thomas Eddison's inventions?
    I've caught myself at the idea that we don't.

    Bye, Anton!
    Alexander Koryagin
    english_tutor 2021

    ---
    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Alexander Koryagin on Sat Aug 7 13:34:26 2021
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

    I thought for a long time what had you meant by "double
    space at the end of a sentence" because my qouter removes
    double spaces. ;-)


    I had suspected as much. In Fidonet we don't always know what other people's software will do until we see it happen. But your idea of posting an excerpt seems to work quite well if you want to keep the original spacing.

    If you &/or your quoter prefer not to use the double space, I accept that when the results are consistent... as they are in this example. But from my POV it's annoying when my software will accept a double space in the middle of a line but try to correct it if I use it near the end of a line. No matter how I adjust the settings, it has its own ideas about line wrapping... (sigh).
    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Sun Aug 8 14:44:50 2021

    Hi, Ardith Hinton! -> Alexander Koryagin
    I read your message from 07.08.2021 13:34

    I thought for a long time what had you meant by "double space at
    the end of a sentence" because my qouter removes double spaces.

    I had suspected as much. In Fidonet we don't always know what other people's software will do until we see it happen. But your idea of
    posting an excerpt seems to work quite well if you want to keep the original spacing.

    If you &/or your quoter prefer not to use the double space, I
    accept that when the results are consistent...

    It is the specifics of my quoter. My quoter can format the text to a
    formatted form with an aligned right margin, and in this case additional
    spaces are OK. Vice versa it removes additional spaces and line returns
    when I want long line paragraphs.

    as they are in this example. But from my POV it's annoying when my software will accept a double space in the middle of a line but try
    to correct it if I use it near the end of a line. No matter how I
    adjust the settings, it has its own ideas about line wrapping...
    (sigh).

    I remember you like to write your messages in the formatted form with
    the aligned right margin. It means the text alignment is turned on in
    your editor. In this case your editor can itself add/remove additional
    spaces for the text alignment, to more exact in those places it found
    proper. You can try to switch off the text alignment in the editor
    settings. After this procedure your text spaces will be unchanged by the
    editor itself.

    Bye, Ardith!
    Alexander Koryagin
    english_tutor 2021

    ---
    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Alexander Koryagin on Fri Sep 10 23:12:40 2021
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

    If you &/or your quoter prefer not to use the double space,
    I accept that when the results are consistent...

    It is the specifics of my quoter.


    But you generally follow the same pattern in your own writing. :-))



    My quoter can format the text to a formatted form with an
    aligned right margin, and in this case additional spaces
    are OK. Vice versa it removes additional spaces and line
    returns when I want long line paragraphs.


    I'd noticed both you & Anton using such options. I am told QEdit... which my message editor invokes... was originally designed for programmers.

    In the light of what Wiki has to say about the history of spacing in English, however, I now realize the tendency to employ single spacing within & between sentences originated with the advent of mass-market publications. :-)



    I remember you like to write your messages in the formatted
    form with the aligned right margin.


    I align the right margin for various reasons, one of which is that I don't want the computer to muck around with my spacing. I've learned over the years that when I fill every line my software won't try to improve on it. But of course I have no control over what other people's software will do.... :-Q



    It means the text alignment is turned on in your editor.


    No, it means I'm an old schoolteacher for whom readability is of far more importance than what's au courant or what others might do to save a buck. When I look at material intended for beginning readers I notice the spacing is consistent but the right margin is variable. In such cases the paragraphs are usually very short. At some point I gather more fluent readers may prefer the right margins to be consistent, even at the expense of consistency in spacing.

    In this echo we have readers who are operating at various levels WRT the English language, so what I'm doing is a bit of a balancing act... [grin].




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/6 to Ardith Hinton on Sun Sep 12 15:29:12 2021

    Hi, Ardith Hinton! -> Alexander Koryagin
    I read your message from 10.09.2021 23:12

    If you &/or your quoter prefer not to use the double space, I
    accept that when the results are consistent...

    It is the specifics of my quoter.

    But you generally follow the same pattern in your own writing. :-))

    It is only if I turn on the aligning option. For making the text right
    margin aligned it is necessary to add some additional spaces. My quoter
    add these spaces at first after full stops, commas etc. If it is not
    enough additional spaces are added between words too. For instance, here
    are two ways of quoting - with aligning and without. At present, I
    always use the second variant.

    -----Beginning of the citation-----
    When HarperCollins first approached me to write the foreword to Sterling's little book, I must admit that I was more than a bit
    taken aback. Not quite aghast, but definitely shocked, For one
    thing, Sterling has never been much of a reader. In fact, to the
    best of my knowledge, the only things he ever read growing up were pornographic comic books (we used to call them "Tijuana bibles,"
    but I'm sure that's no longer considered polite, what with all
    these immigrants driving around everywhere in their lowriders, listening to raps and shooting all the jobs). So the thought of Sterling writing an actual book? With words? Yes, I was definitely shocked.

    When HarperCollins first approached me to write the foreword to
    Sterling's little book, I must admit that I was more than a bit
    taken aback. Not quite aghast, but definitely shocked, For one
    thing, Sterling has never been much of a reader. In fact, to the
    best of my knowledge, the only things he ever read growing up were pornographic comic books (we used to call them "Tijuana bibles,"
    but I'm sure that's no longer considered polite, what with all
    these immigrants driving around everywhere in their lowriders,
    listening to raps and shooting all the jobs). So the thought of
    Sterling writing an actual book? With words? Yes, I was definitely shocked.
    ----- The end of the citation -----

    <skipped>
    In the light of what Wiki has to say about the history of spacing
    in English, however, I now realize the tendency to employ single
    spacing within & between sentences originated with the advent of mass-market publications.

    Although, double spaces don't help if the author uses long sentences.
    For instance, look the these two sentence, by Daniel Defoe. Yes, he uses
    a double space between his sentences for clarity. ;)

    -----Beginning of the citation-----
    Author: Daniel Defoe
    THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOE
    CHAPTER I--REVISITS ISLAND

    That homely proverb, used on so many occasions in England, viz.
    "That what is bred in the bone will not go out of the flesh," was
    never more verified than in the story of my Life. Any one would
    think that after thirty-five years' affliction, and a variety of
    unhappy circumstances, which few men, if any, ever went through
    before, and after near seven years of peace and enjoyment in the
    fulness of all things; grown old, and when, if ever, it might be
    allowed me to have had experience of every state of middle life,
    and to know which was most adapted to make a man completely happy;
    I say, after all this, any one would have thought that the native
    propensity to rambling which I gave an account of in my first
    setting out in the world to have been so predominant in my
    thoughts, should be worn out, and I might, at sixty one years of
    age, have been a little inclined to stay at home, and have done
    venturing life and fortune any more.
    ----- The end of the citation -----

    I remember you like to write your messages in the formatted form
    with the aligned right margin.
    I align the right margin for various reasons, one of which is that
    I don't want the computer to muck around with my spacing. I've
    learned over the years that when I fill every line my software
    won't try to improve on it. But of course I have no control over
    what other people's software will do....: - Q
    It means the text alignment is turned on in your editor.

    No, it means I'm an old schoolteacher for whom readability is of
    far more importance than what's au courant or what others might do
    to save a buck. When I look at material intended for beginning
    readers I notice the spacing is consistent but the right margin is variable. In such cases the paragraphs are usually very short. At
    some point I gather more fluent readers may prefer the right
    margins to be consistent, even at the expense of consistency in
    spacing.

    Probably it is a good idea to do things as the majority does them. I
    mean those people whom you are writing to. ;) Although, aligned right
    margin looks nice anyway.

    Bye, Ardith!
    Alexander Koryagin
    english_tutor 2021

    ---
    * Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Anton Shepelev on Thu Sep 23 22:55:18 2021
    Hi, Anton! Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

    Remember the book about witchcraft that the doctor shows
    to the heroine in Suspiria? It has that double spacing
    between sentences, and it looks good!


    No, I don't. But I see my copy of the KJV of the Bible, published in 1950, also uses it. AFAIC the traditional method of typesetting... which folks later duplicated as best they could on the typewriter... is pleasing to the eye while enabling the reader to slow down & think about the content. I'll stop to admire a nice turn of phrase in whatever I happen to be reading, and the KJV of the Bible is my "go-to" version unless I need a bit more clarification.... :-)



    Life was slower in the past,


    Indeed. A century or two ago the paterfamilias... if he could afford it... would buy a book he liked, then read it aloud to his wife & children. In such situations the extra spacing printers used after various punctuation marks probably made the task easier. But by the time I was about to enter university condensed books & speed reading appeared to be more important to other folks.

    Nowadays I often notice people on the street with a coffee cup in one hand & a cell phone in the other, some of them so engaged in what they're doing with their phone they can't take their eyes off it long enough to pay attention to their surroundings even if they're crossing a busy street. Such things tend to happen gradually until people like you & me wonder how we got there.... :-)



    and many technical innovations were gained not so
    much by disciplined engineering and research, but
    by hard and painful trial and error, like groping
    in the dark, through several generations of masters
    and craftsmen.


    Uh-huh. I learned to make compost... AKA "black gold" among overaged hippies like me... from my father. If e.g. kitchen waste, grass clippings, and fallen leaves can produce good fertilizer at no cost except for a bit of effort or if the indigenous peoples learned to plant corn with beans, why don't others pay more attention? I guess they're looking for quicker & easier methods. The City of Vancouver will now accept whatever organic material we put in the Green Bin, but we put the really good stuff in our compost box. Meanwhile others buy heavily advertised synthetics guaranteed to keep the economy rolling... (sigh).



    Thomas Eddison wrote about his method that failure
    is the discovery another of way that does not work.
    This approach is not always inferrior in that in can
    lead to inventions that modern engineers, going by
    the more direct route, overlook.


    As a student, I noticed many paper aeroplanes outside the engineering building at a certain time of year... and I noticed they all looked exactly the same. Yes, these things fly very well. In theory, or so I am told, bumblebees shouldn't be able to fly... although they do. I imagine Mother Nature had some ideas yet to be discovered by people like Thomas Edison.

    Our daughter has a book called MISTAKES THAT WORKED which illustrates this principle. Allededly tea was discovered about 4700 years ago by a Chinese emperor, e.g., who was boiling a pot of water outdoors when a few leaves from a nearby shrub fell into it. He enjoyed the aroma, and tasted the water.... :-)




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