My Google-fu has failed me - I'm looking for contact details for English Heritage's management-level events organisers (the folks who book acts to appear at EH venues) and I can't find any current information - can anyone help me please? Thanks!
posted by timpollard
on Jun 18, 2008 -
1 answer
I don't want to be a salesman! Can anyone help a recent grad find a sane, non-sales job in Philadelphia?
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posted by SansPoint
on Jun 17, 2008 -
9 answers
I'm on a Chinese-language computer and want to use Windows XP and Windows Vista in English. How can I do this?
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posted by catburger
on Jun 12, 2008 -
1 answer
What is good bilingual (English/Spanish), and relatively short toast for a wedding?
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posted by Cog
on Jun 12, 2008 -
5 answers
My girlfriend's parents have been told that they may develop 森林脑炎 -- a Chinese disease which seems to be similar to Lyme disease.
Can you help me find out what this is called in English, so I can find out how serious a condition this is?
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posted by TheyCallItPeace
on Jun 11, 2008 -
10 answers
How do you pronounce the word 'read' when used in the following context? -- 'John is dry (read: boring).'
/rɛd/ or /rid/
Thanks!
posted by gman
on May 29, 2008 -
122 answers
Vagaries of the English Language, part
n: I need to tell my boss why the contraction "I'm" cannot stand alone as a sentence. For example, "Yes, I am" is okay. "Yes, I'm" is not. I haven't been able to find any good logic for this case or that works for the different contractions in general ("don't" can also stand alone, "I'd" and "I've" cannot). Given this is about languages, and particularly English, "just because" is, alas, potentially the best answer.
posted by whatzit
on May 15, 2008 -
36 answers
Back in 1996, Heather and I visited our friend Jason in Bourne End, northwest of London, and spent a few days in Lynton, in Devon. There was a funicular from Lynton to Lynmouth, and we used to take the train from Lynton down into town and wander around in search of scrumpy.
As we got off the railway, at the mouth of the Lyn, we found ourselves on the west bank of the Lyn, and IIRC there was a building right about there with the best ever Victorian-latinate-lingo "please curb your dog" sign I've ever seen.
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posted by schampeo
on May 8, 2008 -
5 answers
I'd never put only "question" here. I don't call my dog "Dog" or write out a check "for
money Dollars". When I call 911 and request a firetruck, they don't call me back and speak the words "a firetruck" and hang up. Why is it normal to congratulate someone by saying "congratulations"?
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posted by cmiller
on May 4, 2008 -
23 answers
MajorDomesticDebateFilter : What is up? She says jig. I say gig. Google is undecided.
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posted by vizsla
on Apr 25, 2008 -
37 answers
Is it insulting to compliment an educated non-native speaker's English?
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posted by amfea
on Apr 23, 2008 -
44 answers
Looking for information about teaching English abroad, specifically in Japan and Germany.
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posted by thekak
on Apr 18, 2008 -
7 answers
I have one scanned JPG image of one typewritten page of modern German (or possibly modern Swiss-German). What's the best company, service, or person to use to get it translated into English quickly?
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posted by Asparagirl
on Apr 18, 2008 -
8 answers
Francofilter (part 2) (
part 1): What's my best option for a science/technical French-English/English-French dictionary?
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posted by solotoro
on Apr 12, 2008 -
5 answers
What are some totally awesome free online ESL resources that focus specifically on how to produce the correct sounds in English words for people whose native languages don't contain them?
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posted by GoingToShopping
on Apr 5, 2008 -
3 answers
My 18 yr old daughter wants to spend 2 months this summer working in Japan as an English instructor. She has a working knowledge of Japanese and will have a TESL certificate. What is the best and safest way to go about trying to help her find a job and what issues do we need to be aware of?
posted by frizelli
on Apr 4, 2008 -
12 answers
MLA Style Filter: I'm citing an
interview that was published
online. I know how to set up the entry on the Works Cited page, but the MLA Handbook offers no suggestions on how to format the parenthetical in-text reference. If John Doe told Jane Reporter, "I love cats," how do I cite that? Like this? "I love cats" (Doe, Reporter interview). There is no page number, as this was published online. Thanks!
posted by jackypaper
on Mar 28, 2008 -
6 answers
How do I write short (ca. 150 words) and engaging descriptions of movies in English without sounding too subjective (I don't want to use the first person POV)? The people reading will be average movie goers. Any tips, examples or links that you can recommend? Many thanks!
posted by Foci for Analysis
on Mar 20, 2008 -
8 answers
Can anyone tell me what works of Dazai Osamu's are translated in (1) Phyllis I. Lyons's "The Saga of Dazai Osamu: A Critical Study with Translations"; and (2) James O'Brien's "Dazai Osamu: Selected Stories and Sketches"?
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posted by No-sword
on Mar 8, 2008 -
4 answers
How do you say " I got hit (in the head) by....(something)" I have to do an oral presentation in spanish but Im not sure how to say I was....i got hit? Im telling a story of when i got hit in the head with a swing...i have to use imperfect and preterite tense....any ideas
posted by madmamasmith
on Mar 1, 2008 -
10 answers
What are some other examples of using 'an' in front of a non-vowel like some do with 'an historic...'?
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posted by afx114
on Feb 22, 2008 -
40 answers
What is the polite way to deal with service workers who speak poor English in an English-speaking country?
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posted by desjardins
on Feb 22, 2008 -
25 answers
I am looking for good, undergraduate-geared resources, articles or book chapters that overview 1) the origins of the English language, 2) Old/Middle/Modern/Contemporary English and things like the Great Vowel Shift, and 3) language development in humans.
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posted by oflinkey
on Jan 30, 2008 -
15 answers
Please, i need links to
useful web sites geared towards teaching English for pre-school kids.
posted by Yiba
on Jan 21, 2008 -
2 answers
So, due to some random circumstances, I've been offered a chance to go teach English in Brazil for a few months. However, the school is just starting and is not licensed yet, so I would be paid under the table. I would be on a tourist visa so this would be illegal. How much trouble could I get into?
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posted by octavia
on Jan 14, 2008 -
13 answers
A) "At the next stage in the process, the tea leaves ARE blended".
B) "At the next stage in the process, the tea leaves WERE blended".
Is A correct from a formal grammar standpoint? If so, which tense is it using, and how is it using the past tense of "blend"? If not, why not?
posted by Jon Mitchell
on Jan 11, 2008 -
19 answers
In a conversation consisting entirely of English speakers, how should I pronounce the name Jorge Luis Borges?
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posted by ludwig_van
on Jan 7, 2008 -
47 answers
I'm a native speaker of English but I pronounce some words incorrectly. What other words am I pronouncing wrong?
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posted by pravit
on Dec 30, 2007 -
147 answers
FirstTimeTutorFilter: I'm plan to start tutoring Math, Chemistry, Physics and possibly ESL in January. Only problem is, I have *no idea what I'm doing*. Anyone have any textbooks, general teaching books, online certification courses, etc to recommend?
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posted by anonymoose
on Dec 17, 2007 -
8 answers
GrammarFilter: Is the sentence “If I were ______, I would have done _____” grammatically incorrect? If so, why?
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posted by jason's_planet
on Dec 5, 2007 -
13 answers
Where can I find a list of colleges and/or universities located outside English speaking countries that primarily teach courses in English? (Personal knowledge of such institutions of higher learning is also welcome.)
posted by dkleinst
on Nov 24, 2007 -
13 answers
What books/courses/web tutorials would you recommend to help me learn the Received Pronunciation (BBC) English accent?
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posted by scarylarry
on Nov 20, 2007 -
9 answers
A patriarch is the top father-figure, the peerless dad.
I used the word "plutarch" to mean someone of peerless wealth, mixing "plutocracy" and "patriarch"... but it turns out the only Plutarch is a Greek biographer. What word should I use?
posted by Mozai
on Oct 23, 2007 -
24 answers
OK, so as I understand it, first there was 'Proto-English' which evolved into Old English, which apparently morphed into Middle English and then eventually became Modern English.
Here bygynneth my question! How is the written English language likely to change over the next century or so?
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posted by Effigy2000
on Oct 10, 2007 -
28 answers
