Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[luciaC]

1.While I understood the neighbors� frustration at being out of the loop, I didn�t have a lot of sympathy for their cause. What do out of the loop and cause mean?

2.News that wages grew faster than had been expected in Oct. reinforced fears of inflation in the financial markets and that bumped up interest rate again this week.

3.What does upmarket apartment complex mean?

4.What�s the difference between janitor and custodian?

5.Can someone tell me the names of California senators and representatives?

6.Can someone tell me the causes of earthquakes? I don�t know how to explain that in English.

7.Can someone tell me the differences between an earthquake, a tremor and an aftershock?

8.What is antiacid for?

9.What is eye wash for?

10.What is tweezer for?
_________________
Mimi

[Bob S.]

Let me see if I can field a few of these.

[bud]

1. To be out of the loop is to not be a part of the information flow. That is, when new information is learned, others are told, but not you.

2. Is it a correct sentence? Is that the question?.. Almost. You need plural for interst rate: interest rates.

3. I don't know that "upmarket" is a real word, but it is the same as "upscale" - the most expensive and/or desired.

[advoca]

May I throw in a little something?

In America a custodian is the caretaker of a building. However, in Britain this term is not used. A custodian is someone who is responsible for something valuable such as money, property, or a collection of works of art.

It can also be used to refer to someone who tries to preserve a set of principles. He has always served as a stout custodian of intellectual freedom.

In Britain the term upmarket is widely used, and it refers to services or goods that are designed for people who have a lot of money. Examples of items that are considered upmarket are Gucci clothes, Cartier jewellery, Rolex Watches, Rolls-Royce Cars.