Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[wangfeel]

I can't see the difference between natation and swim? what is it?
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"Watch flower flowering and searing
Stay or leave has no sense
Clouds curling and stretching
Like or dislike is no surprising " from old Chinese saying

[Corey]

Natation is not a word used in English. In fact, it sounds like Spanish (natacion = to swim in Spanish).

Good luck,

Corey
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Niagara Summer Programs

[wangfeel]

Thank you., Corey.
I see Natation in GRE English books. Why did they put a spanish word into English exams? Spanish is brother of English?
_________________
"Watch flower flowering and searing
Stay or leave has no sense
Clouds curling and stretching
Like or dislike is no surprising " from old Chinese saying

[dduck]

Spanish is a romance language, derived from Latin, whereas English has roots in French (another Romance language) and German. I'd say Spanish and English are cousins at best!

Iain
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Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.
--Chinese Proverb

[dduck]

...
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Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.
--Chinese Proverb

[dduck]

Net lag...
_________________

Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.
--Chinese Proverb

[Corey]

[bud]

At Cambridge dictionaries online, http://dictionary.cambridge.org/, this is their reply:

"natation was not found in the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

natation was found in the Dictionnaire Cambridge Klett Compact in the following entries:"

I don't know what it means not to be in the main dictionary while being in some compact dictionary. But following that link shows that you are right.

But believe us, it is not a word that is usually used. It sounds like a word a doctor might use: "During natation, patient first felt cramping and then..."

[wangfeel]

Use chinese old saying, "Getting what you said is beyond for my ten years reading. " (I translated )
I didin't really see natation in exams. Chinese Word Remembeing Book has few good sentences to help us understand the word. An american told me when he opened up my GRE book:"If someone knows all these words, he can read everything." You see, we need to know a lot of words, only a few we know well. Yes, easy come, easy go. We have no time to know the context of the new word. Just use our limited imagination to connect the new word to our own experience. That is not a good way for study, I think. For I often confused about the same meaning of many words which seems never semble.
GRE is the entrance exams for those entering university to be graduates in foreign country. This is what I have been told. In my mind, these rarely-used words should be a piece of cake for those people who have English enviroment, is it true?
_________________
"Watch flower flowering and searing
Stay or leave has no sense
Clouds curling and stretching
Like or dislike is no surprising " from old Chinese saying

[bud]

It's not always a piece of cake for a native speaker, but yes, I'm sure it's easier for us when we come across an unfamiliar word than it is for a non-native speaker.

I heard a long time ago that the average person's vocabulary consists of a few thousand words. Yet there are hundreds of thousands of words in the language. I think native speakers continue to run into unfamiliar words until the day they die.

You're doing very well, Wangfree. Keep up the good work.

[wangfeel]

thank you , bud. By the way, my name is wangfeel. As for wangfree, it's a good name too. Thanks again.
_________________
"Watch flower flowering and searing
Stay or leave has no sense
Clouds curling and stretching
Like or dislike is no surprising " from old Chinese saying

[bud]

I'm sorry, Wangfeel. My eyes saw Wangfeel, but I guess my fingers insisted on Wangfree.

[obelix]

Natation n. formal or literary the act or art of swimming.

According to the Oxford Dictionary.

Nobody says it though.