Grammer Class is Open...

gsxr1100 · Dec 18, 2004

Coding is different then spelling there vs. their. It is coding, not spelling. Now it is digital and it is all 0 and 1's. Again, no spelling.

Example, the guy that designed the $26 Million space shuttle toilet could not send a memo at work for anything, but ask him a design question on the shuttle, look out MIT.

The moral of it is I would not put to much faith in spelling here unless you are a tech writer at Metlife, Cigna etc. I would put more energy in math since that goes a lot longer in life.

Cliff_Johns · Dec 18, 2004

( Coding is different then spelling there vs. their. It is coding, not spelling. Now it is digital and it is all 0 and 1's. Again, no spelling. )

The very first program I wrote I couldn't get to compile. I fought with it for an hour before someone pointed out that I'd spelled character wrong.

Cliff

gsxr1100 · Dec 18, 2004

I am sure it was a simple mistake, but again I would not put to much faith in spelling. As I tell my boss, "does my design work or are you worried if I have your name correctly".

Coding is going away anyways to overseas, so I would not too worry....Along with everyother USA job...

Egon · Dec 18, 2004

I was just thinking! I have a cousin who's daughter married an English professor fluent in only English. This fellow was always correcting my cousins English. Now my cousin was fluent in three other languages with English being the fourth he'd learned.

Made me think of a hot air balloon with a hole in it.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Dargo · Dec 18, 2004

I met a young lady when I was in college who was from Germany. She was very concerned with speaking English properly, and constantly apologized about her "poor" English. Well, it wasn't poor at all, and English was the fourth language she spoke fluently! Her grasp of languages was phenomenal. I felt stupid next to her.

I'll not discuss how many years of English classes I've had, but I have had four years of Latin (of which I can only recite a few stupid quotes such as "semper ubi sub ubi" and some others not fit for publication. I also had one year of college Spanish. In Spanish I can generally get directions, ask for one more beer, and ask where the restrooms are located. Which then brings us to German. My dog speaks German, but I don't! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif He didn't come with complete instructions!!

I always admire polyglots, and one day with enough self study, I hope to be able to speak at least three languages fluently. If anyone reading this board speaks Mandarin, my hat is off to you! That is a tough one!!

Not to leave GSXR out, I have had enough math to figure I can afford to buy a calculator (with instructions). I got lost when they started using alpha and numerical items in a math equation. Isn't math numbers?? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif I did pass both the LSAT and MCAT exams out of college, so at one point I did get learned a little at math. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif However, I'm neither a JD or an MD. I didn't sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I have my own CPA, and several friends and relatives in both the medical and legal profession.

I'm the dumb one in the group, but I sure can speak "tractor" language at holiday gatherings, and that always throws them for a loop! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Hey, that Latin phrase I used earlier; it translates to "always wear under wear". That should count for something! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Boondox · Dec 18, 2004

( We didn’t put a man on the moon because of spelling….. 

Actually, with all the code that was in the programming for the lunar missions, we DID put a man on the moon because of spelling. )

And we crashed a Mars probe because of a simple error. Maybe there's something to this checking for accuracy thing...

Pete

Boondox · Dec 18, 2004

( I always admire polyglots, and one day with enough self study, I hope to be able to speak at least three languages fluently. If anyone reading this board speaks Mandarin, my hat is off to you! That is a tough one!! )

We have a young woman at work, tiny little thing, who speaks four Chinese dialects and fourteen European languages! It completely blows my mind that any one person can be conversant in that many parts of the world! Needless to say, she's in our International Sales dept!

Pete

Dargo · Dec 18, 2004

That is one brilliant little lady!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Can I have her autograph?? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

bczoom · Dec 18, 2004

( I can proudly say I can get my face slapped in four languages and get into a fight in a couple more. )

Been there... Does that make us multi-lingual in some sort of fashion?

Boondox · Dec 18, 2004

That reminds me of my first cruise to the Med. The navy put foreign language instructors aboard before we went to a new country. One guy was too cheap to pay for lessons himself, so he begged a shipmate to teach him how to say, "You're so beautiful and I love you!" in Italian. Tired of being harassed, the student told the cheapwad a phrase in Italian.

The cheapskate practiced the phrase lovingly in the mirror several times a day. We finally pulled into Naples and sure enough, he saw a lovely Italian girl and poured his heart into the phrase he had practiced endlessly. She hauled off and punched his lights out!

The phrase he had memorized? "You have the shape of a pig and the eyes of a cow!"

Pete

GerardC · Dec 18, 2004

Hey, anyone notice that all the emoticons are bald except the one asking questions.... 

ROFLMAO! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif G

MossRoad · Dec 18, 2004

My wife and I met a tanslater from Denmark many years ago. She spoke seven languages fluently and was learning several more at the time. Her English was perfect.

I can read Spanish with pretty good comprehension, but can't speak it worth a hoot.

What I really enjoy is reading a technical manual in English, then reading it in all the other languages that it comes in.

MossRoad · Dec 18, 2004

Mars probe 

Yeah, I recall that. Wasn't it a metric to English mistake or something like that?

MikePA · Dec 19, 2004

vacillate back and forth - redundant, vacillate means to sway from side to side
close proximity - redundant, proximity means close
I am wanting - Should be 'I want'

Dargo · Dec 19, 2004

Go Mike go! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Bird · Dec 19, 2004

You mean those are similar to "free gratis", Mike?

johnday · Dec 19, 2004

Mike; In order to be disgruntled, do you have to be gruntled first? BTW, what the h#*^ is gruntled? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Cliff_Johns · Dec 19, 2004

( Mike; In order to be disgruntled, do you have to be gruntled first? BTW, what the h#*^ is gruntled? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )

I am thinking the correct accurate proper usage term is disengruntlfied.

Cliff