Search found 1303 matches

by woodcutter
Wed Sep 12, 2012 10:09 am
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Taking students from introduction to mastery of a new word
Replies: 5
Views: 18387

Well, the (possibly rather flawed) discipline of applied linguistics would tend to suggest it won't be all that useful for you to have an "anal" method which focuses on taking students from encountering a particualr word to mastering it in every aspect. That's an unusual way to look at language teac...
by woodcutter
Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:49 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Code writing in English - can you do it in other languages
Replies: 4
Views: 17350

Yes, which rather implies that input should be pretty accurate, and that having lots and lots of free conversation in a class all of the same nationality has severe drawbacks. It doesn't strike me that the code breaking exercise above is very suitable for language learners - after all it is only if ...
by woodcutter
Tue Sep 13, 2011 11:20 am
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Code writing in English - can you do it in other languages
Replies: 4
Views: 17350

This (or at least something similar) is obviously possible in all written languages. Our minds seek what we expect to be there, and select the known item closest to what is actually on the page (not that listening is much different, mind). Exercises like this ought to be part of all linguistics degr...
by woodcutter
Mon Jul 12, 2010 3:37 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Indentation Nazism
Replies: 14
Views: 111219

By saying I am paid to splash red ink, I am only saying that correcting is part of the job and the students expect it. However liberal you may be, you have to splash some. Even if the ink is, in fact, green, or some other less visible and supposedly more righteous shade. Obviously you needn't do eve...
by woodcutter
Fri Jul 02, 2010 12:12 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Indentation Nazism
Replies: 14
Views: 111219

Do it "correct" because you may meet a "stickler". You probably will meet one. As for me, I'm easy. This is pretty common advice, I must admit I give it myself in other circumstances, and I think the consequences are pretty profound. For some reason people often ignore the sociolinguistic side of fo...
by woodcutter
Tue Jun 15, 2010 8:26 am
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Your Welcome!
Replies: 3
Views: 15763

Though to accept the woodcutter/lorikeet thesis you have to believe that people drop the e as well as the apostrophe, for some reason. I think perhaps they do, because otherwise it looks odd. There are 21 million examples of youre against 610 million for you're. Given the 2/1 ratio numbers I gave ab...
by woodcutter
Mon Jun 14, 2010 12:13 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Your Welcome!
Replies: 3
Views: 15763

Google has the correct version at about double the incorrect, which is closer than I would have guessed. Then again, many people, after all, always try to be informal on the internet and never fuss about time-consuming punctuation which would only make them look stuffy anyway. (Hmm, and a comma in t...
by woodcutter
Wed Jun 02, 2010 9:46 am
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Comma use
Replies: 2
Views: 12032

The US "rules" appear to run like this. Best ignored.

http://crosswaterfarm.com/commas/2ic.html

"As" is not a FANBOY. Comma between ind.clauses = Shock, horror, etc.
by woodcutter
Thu May 27, 2010 11:10 am
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: possibly=possible
Replies: 2
Views: 10462

That is another member of the "bound to happen sometimes" class, to my mind. The language is full of mistakes that happen a lot, and now and again they take off and move on a road to becoming legit. I don't think this one is on that road, or I haven't heard it at least. For example I wrote "I have b...
by woodcutter
Mon May 24, 2010 9:18 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Indentation Nazism
Replies: 14
Views: 111219

I think that is important information, but very few editors seem to be able to see outside the confines of their own in-house style. There are quite a few different styles out there, business aside. I'd imagine that indentation is still fairly common though.
by woodcutter
Mon May 24, 2010 9:12 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Complex? Simple?
Replies: 4
Views: 14491

Well quite, you seem to need this highly questionable FANBOYS stuff in order to make sense of it. As to the complex sentences, someone asked me what "for" meant in a "non-complex" sentence like "I love him, for he has a beautiful soul". And what can you answer apart from that it means "because" - th...
by woodcutter
Fri May 21, 2010 12:58 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Indentation Nazism
Replies: 14
Views: 111219

Yes, I was merrily splashing my red ink and I suddenly had a horrible feeling that some people would see it like that. How shameful to be an indentation fogey. There seems to be a surprising lack of internet discussion on the subject. Of course, there will always be plenty of stick-in-the-muds who w...
by woodcutter
Fri May 21, 2010 12:53 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: EXCLUSIVE: Fluffyhamster declared grammar dunce!
Replies: 43
Views: 57030

Does it really bother you to be attacked by "Swan sez it so it's true" type people? Most bigwigs these days seem to use the term "ing form", as I think you know.
by woodcutter
Tue May 18, 2010 2:49 pm
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Indentation Nazism
Replies: 14
Views: 111219

Yes, sorry, for paragraphs read indentation.

I thought you were American J.M.A. You aren't? If you are, why are you so involved with IELTS?
by woodcutter
Tue May 18, 2010 10:00 am
Forum: Applied Linguistics
Topic: Indentation Nazism
Replies: 14
Views: 111219

I don't think the uni has a style guide, anyway they haven't told me about it. British people are less wedded to them in general than Americans I think. The main thing would probably be to follow the guides of the department you write for. It is interesting that IELTS doesn't require paragraphs, tha...