Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[BMO]

1. Is it: Garbage on the screen, junk on the screen, or gibberish on the screen, or something else better?

2. Any difference between the following two sentences?

a. What if she is telling the truth, would you still come?
b. If what she is telling is true, would you still come?

Thanks.

bmo

[bud]

Hi BMO,

1. What are you trying to say? To me, garbage or junk on the screen refers to TV. They are phrases to say that there is nothing that is worth watching. Gibberish on the screen refers to a computer monitor. It says that something is wrong with your system because the normal words and grahics that you see are not there. Instead, you see only a mishmash of color and lines.

2. Sentence (b) is incorrect. You need an object for "to tell." You could add an object (telling you, telling us, telling them, etc.) or switch to "to say." Once corrected, there is no difference in meaning between (a) and (b).

If what she is telling you is true,..
If what she is saying is true,.. (an object is optional for "to say")

Hope that helps.

[BMO]

Thanks Bud, #1 is referring to a computer screen or computer printout, so what are the ways to say when something unreadbale are displayed?

Thanks a lot, and have a Merry Christmas, You have helped me a lot this past year.

[bud]

Merry Christmas to you, too, BMO. I hope the New Year is a happy and healthy one for you... And thank you for the kind words. I'm happy to hear I've helped!

In that situation, I think "gibberish" is the best. But despite what I said in the previous post, the other two would work, too. It's just that "garbage" and "junk" could be a bit ambiguous. If I heard that, I would probably not know if you meant that it is unreadable or that you don't like what you see. Maybe it's your bank account you are looking at and it shows a balance of 73 cents!

All the Best,
Bud

[BMO]

Thanks. Now you explained it, it makes sense.