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Gordon
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5309
Location: Japan
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 Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:21 am Post subject: |
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Many moons ago I dropped my wallet on the outskirts of Amsterdam. When I noticed it was missing, I ran back and there it was sitting on the sidewalk and moved to one side. It was probably there for 20 mins and everything was in there, probably the equivalency of about 100 euros in it. Made me pretty happy as it was my first day in Europe. I later married a Dutch girl, but I`m sure there is no coincidence.  |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:26 am Post subject: |
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Have you dropped your wallet in one of Sao Paulo's slums to check that theory? That's why I say it's a stereotype. We guess at it.
Like MixtecaMike says over in the Mexico forum...Mexico City's Tepito neighborhood to me sounds dangerous, but he lived there and never had a problem. Calls it a great place to shop. Now that I think about it, having been warned so much about Tepito, I've never actually spent much time there...just listened to stories. |
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Deconstructor
Joined: 30 Dec 2003
Posts: 775
Location: Montreal
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:39 am Post subject: |
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| Guy Courchesne wrote: |
Have you dropped your wallet in one of Sao Paulo's slums to check that theory? That's why I say it's a stereotype. We guess at it.
Like MixtecaMike says over in the Mexico forum...Mexico City's Tepito neighborhood to me sounds dangerous, but he lived there and never had a problem. Calls it a great place to shop. Now that I think about it, having been warned so much about Tepito, I've never actually spent much time there...just listened to stories. |
Yes, experiencing things first hand is best. I actually hung around in a slum with a Brazilian friend who was teaching there. I met a lot of nice people as I knew I would, but the fact still remained that one had to be careful since people systematically got hurt and even killed almost on daily bases. |
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Zero Hero
Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Posts: 944
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 8:31 am Post subject: |
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| What are "daily bases"? Do you mean 'on a daily basis'? |
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merlin
Joined: 10 May 2004
Posts: 582
Location: Somewhere between Camelot and NeverNeverLand
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:14 am Post subject: |
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| Zero Hero wrote: |
| What are "daily bases"? Do you mean 'on a daily basis'? |
Today, I feel like using what seems to be the favourite put-down on Dave's ('Get a life!') for the first time:
Zero Hero, GET A LIFE!
It seems to be a hobby of yours to point out so-called "spelling" mistakes:
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?p=220756#220756
Most of these "misspellings" are just due to people typing with their a**es at speed. This is quite different from "talking out of your a**".
Still, I suppose I should thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute something of my own once again to the "discussions" that grace these pages.
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Deconstructor
Joined: 30 Dec 2003
Posts: 775
Location: Montreal
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 12:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Zero Hero wrote: |
| What are "daily bases"? Do you mean 'on a daily basis'? |
Sorry Zero. I had no idea the absence of a single article would create such confusion in your head.
| Quote: |
| What are "daily bases" |
By the way, if you're gonna call the kettle black... It is "What IS 'daily bases'" since you quoted. But I'm sure you knew this... Oh! Are you gonna correct me because I started a sentence with a conjunction?! |
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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Wow, I didn't even notice the missing article, Decon! That's what reading for meaning does for you.  |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| By the way, if you're gonna call the kettle black... It is "What IS 'daily bases'" since you quoted. |
No, it's not.
If the quotation marks are there to mean, 'the phrase' then the subject would be grammatically singular as in the sentence
What is "daily bases" supposed to mean?
but in this case the quotation marks are there because he is quoting the words from your post and the plural should be used.
What are 'daily bases'?
Pedantry, Decon, carries with it the obligation to be right. |
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AndyinHK
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Posts: 98
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:15 pm Post subject: |
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Just to change the topic....
I usually don't visit and post. but, I believe, ZERO HERO is a guy who used to go by the screen name Ludwig who lurks around the HK threads.
Let's see...
ZH works at a HK university Ludwig works at a HK uni
ZH used to work on the NET scheme Ludwig used to work as a NET
ZH is studying for a PHD at a uni in HK DITTO for Ludwig
ZH likes to point out slight grammatical mistakes DITTO for Ludwig
But I could be wrong.... |
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks for thinking the other points that Decon made through, SJ. (I'm being serious here! If it weren't for people like SJ keeping us all on our toes, the forums really would be full of pointless and/or incorrect snide remarks). |
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dyak
Joined: 25 Jun 2003
Posts: 630
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:32 pm Post subject: |
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| The Hamster wrote: |
| (I'm being serious here! If it weren't for people like SJ keeping us all on our toes, the forums really would be full of pointless and/or incorrect snide remarks). |
I wonder what the per thread ratio is on snide remarks? 
Anyway, by far the friendliest people I've encountered so far have been Canadians. Oh Canada!  |
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Zero Hero
Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Posts: 944
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| Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 4:07 pm Post subject: |
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| My time spent teaching in Sweden and Finland was filled with encounters with extremely warm and friendly people, and I would recommend these countries to anyone for this reason alone. Holland and the German-speaking parts of Switzerland (die deutschspr�chige Schweiz) also seemed to be similar as regards the inhabitants, particularly the former, especially in Amsterdam. Thailand is a favourite destination of mine due to the friendly nature of the people, and I like the Philippines for the same reason. |
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carnac
Joined: 30 Jul 2004
Posts: 310
Location: in my village in Oman ;-)
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| Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2005 9:07 am Post subject: |
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Sorry, y'all, but Decon is correct even if mistaken. If the reference was to more than one "basis" for being killed, the plural is "bases", pronounced "base - eez". In this sense, the usage was correct.
ba�sis ( P ) Pronunciation Key (bss)
n. pl. ba�ses (-sz) (comment: this is American pronunciation. "eez" is more acepted, I believe)
A foundation upon which something rests.
The chief constituent; the fundamental ingredient: The basis for most liquids is water. (My note: the bases for water are oxygen and hydrogen)
The fundamental principle.
An underlying circumstance or condition: workers paid on a daily basis; friends who are on a first-name basis. See Synonyms at base1.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Middle English, from Latin, from Greek. See gw- in Indo-European Roots.]
Source: The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright � 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=basis |
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Veritas_Aequitas
Joined: 15 Jul 2004
Posts: 88
Location: Jalisco, Mexico
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| Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2005 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Guy Courchesne wrote: |
Have you dropped your wallet in one of Sao Paulo's slums to check that theory? That's why I say it's a stereotype. We guess at it.
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Its funny that you should mention that because the only time a personal friend of mine ever got robbed (pickpocketed) was in a pretty working class area in Sao Paulo. In Rio everone I personally knew was fine.
It is true that Brazilians are some of the nicest, and most honest people you could ever encounter, and it is interesting to note that as a general rule the slums of Rio are a hundred times safer than the tourist areas, and the 'ladrao' (ladron) types do not spend their free time there. The organized crime of the favelas actually keeps the streets of the favelas much safer than the police can/would. |
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