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web fishing
Joined: 02 Jun 2005
Posts: 95
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 Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 9:51 pm Post subject: |
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Did you know rhubarb leaves contain poisonous substances.
Did you know rhubarb is a vegetable used commonly as a fruit, and a tomatoe is a fruit that is used as a vegetable. |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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Is it really a veg?
I agree with the tomato being a fruit. I think,but could be wrong, fruits(or should that be fruit to get back on topic briefly) have their seeds inside. But then I don't agree that (a/the/-) cucumber(s) is/are (a) fruit(s). I'm  |
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Henry_Cowell
Joined: 27 May 2005
Posts: 3352
Location: Berkeley
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| Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 10:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Guy Courchesne wrote: |
| I made an apple crumble the other day. |
That poor apple! I made a student cry yesterday (not deliberately, of course). |
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web fishing
Joined: 02 Jun 2005
Posts: 95
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| Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 10:52 pm Post subject: |
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dmb, you spelled tomato, I spelled tomatoe. I know when I was an elementary student I was taught to spell it tomato, but now in the U.S. children are spelling it tomatoe and potatoe [not potato]. The English language..., it is a tough job being a ESL teacher.
We are probably confusing ESL students. They get a British teacher telling them one thing, and a US teacher telling them another, and a Canadian saying something else. 
Last edited by web fishing on Tue Sep 13, 2005 10:59 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 10:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Henry_Cowell wrote: |
| Guy Courchesne wrote: |
| I made an apple crumble the other day. |
That poor apple! I made a student cry yesterday (not deliberately, of course). |
Perhaps some Brit here will tell us how to make spotted d!ck. |
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Henry_Cowell
Joined: 27 May 2005
Posts: 3352
Location: Berkeley
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| Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 10:59 pm Post subject: |
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| I made a d!ck spot. Messy. |
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lajzar
Joined: 09 Feb 2003
Posts: 647
Location: Saitama-ken, Japan
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| Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 1:14 am Post subject: |
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There are two dogs and a cat in the room.
There is a cat and a dog in the room.
The verb agrees with the number of the first object in such lists. Most style manuals say you should place the plural object first in such lists, as that way you can use "are". |
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stillnosheep
Joined: 01 Mar 2004
Posts: 2068
Location: eslcafe
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| Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 3:29 pm Post subject: |
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| dmb wrote: |
Are you using tart as an adjective or a noun here. If a noun. Which meaning. I am confused  |
Adjective. adjective.
Little tarts can also be also blackberry and crumble! |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 3:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Little tarts can also be also blackberry and crumble! |
oh yummy my fave. tarts that crumble. mouth watering. (I still stick with apple though) |
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Justin Trullinger
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit
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| Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 5:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I taught rhubarb once |
I've had some students like that!
Justin
PS Well, I thought it was funny! |
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Hector_Lector
Joined: 20 Apr 2004
Posts: 548
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| Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 5:25 pm Post subject: |
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| As I recall, rhubarb is a Central Asian fruit which travelled (not independently, of course) to Europe along the silk trade routes. Or am I just imagining it? |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 7:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Hector_Lector wrote: |
| As I recall, rhubarb is a Central Asian fruit which travelled (not independently, of course) to Europe along the silk trade routes. Or am I just imagining it? |
I have strange images of giant sticks of rhubarb walking past the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
No, I don't take mind altering drugs. |
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Justin Trullinger
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit
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| Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 7:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| No, I don't take mind altering drugs. |
Who needs to? Teaching English is mind altering enough.
Justin |
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dmb
Joined: 12 Feb 2003
Posts: 8397
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| Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 7:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Very true Justin, very true. |
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nickynunu
Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 8:10 pm Post subject: |
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| dmb wrote: |
Is it really a veg?
I agree with the tomato being a fruit. I think,but could be wrong, fruits(or should that be fruit to get back on topic briefly) have their seeds inside. But then I don't agree that (a/the/-) cucumber(s) is/are (a) fruit(s). I'm |
cucumbers are not-so-distant cousins of our friends the melons, watermelon, cantaloupe etc. if you squint you can see the family resemblance. all definitely fruits, but not tart...
In the case of "how much is etc." my instinct is that we are omitting a word, which would be the subject and that "strawberry pie and coffee" being all one purchase, is a subject complement treated singularly.
Like 'the president is a liar and a piece of *beep*': there's a conjunction, and two noun phrases but obviously the verb is not plural because the president is both of them.
but i'm sure there's a strong case for proximal agreement or what not as well. gotta love deep vs. surface grammar |
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