At last. It was about time! - English-Thread #1

[Glannaragh]

It's just weird to watch people who you've seen posting in German for years suddenly talk about the weather in English.

Well, there might actually be some merit to the idea of having an English OT-Thread just for the sake of letting people try out their English.
But a thread with the purpose of letting a load of non-native-speaking people try to correct each others' English doesn't make much sense to me. And there's nothing in it for me to point all the mistakes in (for example) Valada's post - it'll just make me come off as a smartass.

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Ok, now I can understand what you mean. But I just like the idea - because I like the language and simply don't have the chance to use it every day, so I gladly take up on the opportunity - even if it's just talking about the weather . And should there be any mistakes in grammar or vocabulary, I actually hope that someone will point them out to me. One doesn't have to be a native speaker to do so, does one? None of my English teachers was, as far as I remember.
And should this thread seem so weird to you, why bother instead of simply ignore it?

[Karl]

My english expression is really bad, but if you dont mind, I would also like to post here to improve it. At least I can understand it (and well, I can use random internet phrases, horray). Please correct my grammar, if it dont make a big effort to you. Ah, and I am glad These opened this thread. In a few months I have to write my english abitur and - as said - my phrasing is terrible, english grammar is something really strange and ugly ;__; (unless 'internet memes' is the topic of this years abitur)

Well my summer... it wasnt that cool. There was BMT and a short visit to the great and powerful ex-kingdom of saxonia, but I havent used the time I got well. Heck, I can barely remember, what I've even done. But well, the visits were nice, even though the sun was on vacation too. (Oh and I trashed my theoretic driver licence exam, shortly before my trip to saxonia. Next week I repeat it... the exam not the failure... I guess)

[Icetongue]

Well hello, chaps. I do say that friendly chit-chat does indeed strike my fancy rather mightily.

As for my summer; well, it was mostly uneventful. Like a handful of others I attended the BMT, met several excellent people, a few whom I had yearned to meet for some time and generally spent some of the most enjoyable days in years. So, yeah, the BMT was the highlight of my summer. I don't get out often, is what I'm trying to say.
The end of summer is nothing I worry about, since I believe that every season has its own beauty, be it brown leaves scattering in the wind during fall or the peaceful, snow-clad landscape of winter. Actually I tend to prefer the colder seasons, since they make staying indoors that much more enjoyable, like sitting in front of the fire, drinking a cup of whichever hot beverage is available and listening to the storms raging outside. It's the small things, you know?

Btw: Drunken Monkey's correction is absolutely correct and valid. If there is no specified gender, "they" may be used instead. So "improve their english" is the way to go.

[Valada]

Actually I meant rather the opposite... (but it's typical of you to see a flame behind every corner...). I thought that you're probably well aware of the fact that your English is in fact rather bad - and thought you might be offended if someone were to point out every little mistake in your post. I was saying that I don't want to (and that nobody should) embarrass people by correcting the mistakes in their posts because it can come over as nitpicky and rude - and, let's face it, some people just don't want to be told that they're wrong.
Plus, as you saw when drunken monkey corrected These's original post, it can quickly lead to a discussion over whether the correction itself was right or not - and if that happens every time somebody corrects someone else, that would just screw up the thread.

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In this case the discussion seems to be necessary. As you mentioned it causes trouble when someone starts to correct unasked. We need to have a rule here; an agreement in which manner people can or must not react to mistakes. This should be made crystal clear before we go on because -and you're right here once again- to much correction will crush the rest of the talk.

Btw: Drunken Monkey's correction is absolutely correct and valid. If there is no specified gender, "they" may be used instead. So "improve their english" is the way to go.

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The problem was (for me) that the link looked like "they" is the word to go. I'm repeating my self... but yeah: No one should be forced to read through such instruction to unterstand what the critic was about. Especially as the link is held in english itself. Really. Do you expect someone who made a mistake to get things together by giving him a source in that language she or he so obviously hasn't mastered yet?

[Glannaragh]

Actually I meant rather the opposite... (but it's typical of you to see a flame behind every corner...). I thought that you're probably well aware of the fact that your English is in fact rather bad - and thought you might be offended if someone were to point out every little mistake in your post.

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To be honest, I got the same impression as Valada. You know, someone opens a thread to give people the opportunity to play around with a foreign language a bit an then you come in and the only comment you leave is "that's so weird". My first thought was: "What? Am I really that bad? Or why don't you just say what's wrong with the text I posted here?" Had you just said it seems strange to you that german native speakers suddenly start using English, it had been fine. You could just have been a bit more... diplomatic, you know?

Please, let's not screw this thread by pissing off each other. Should this not be of interest to people, it will vanish in the wastelands of page 2 - x anyway. Until then, give it a chance. We've got enough feuding going on with the Schlund/ Lounge - thing already .

It's the small things, you know?

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Besides, it seems quite a lot of people have been to the BMT this summer. How many of you were there, and what did you do there? I'm still a bit surprised we managed to organize a meeting of a few TES-OT people and would like to hear more about the BMT, which was obviously much bigger .

[These]

Actually I tend to prefer the colder seasons, since they make staying indoors that much more enjoyable, like sitting in front of the fire, drinking a cup of whichever hot beverage is available and listening to the storms raging outside. It's the small things, you know?.

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Man, if I had a fireplace at home I wouldn't even mind if the winter lasted a whole year. So awesome!

As to this year's summer: the 2 weeks in France were great, even though we weren't lucky with the weather and therefore had to drive 500 more kilometres to get away from the rain. Apart from that, it was nothing really spectacular. But that's probably because last year was pretty much the most amazing summer I ever had (Abitur and every party that goes with it ).

[Icetongue]

Besides, it seems quite a lot of people have been to the BMT this summer. How many of you were there, and what did you do there? I'm still a bit surprised we managed to organize a meeting of a few TES-OT people and would like to hear more about the BMT, which was obviously much bigger .

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The BMT was quite large, at least I felt so. We were surely 60 people, crowded in the youth centre, literally sleeping in every corner available. As for the things we did, there was tons of stuff to do, nearly too much since it was impossible to be a part of every single game, role-play, event, tournament and what have you. The things I remember most fondly, in no particular order, were the pony-marathon, during which every single episode of My Little Pony - Friendship is Magic was shown, by projecting it on a wall, cinema-style. One night of trash-movies sponsored by Steel, followed by re-launches of Neon Genesis Evangelion and a live-action movie of the Manga Gantz (which was astonishing, to say the least, I loved it), both brought by csg, if I remember correctly. V-King managed a small but incredibly fun tournament of the game Pac-Man Championchip Edition Deluxe, which brought maybe the most intense sensations I have ever felt when it comes to Pac-Man. Besides that, there was swordmanship-lessons, many different roleplaying games, including werewolves and pokemon, Byder's 18th birthday, several sports were played and so on. So, yeah, it was so much fun! Sleeping on the floor was absolutely worth it. Just for waking up next to Karl every morning. :3
Even though Karl tried to steal some of my underwear.

Man, if I had a fireplace at home I wouldn't even mind if the winter lasted a whole year. So awesome!

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Well, to be honest, I no longer have this particular fireplace, or any for that matter. That's back when I still lived a bit further up to the north, before I moved in order to study. You know how they say that back then everything was better? That's how I feel when I think back to that time. We had a small house, a small bit of the adjacent forest included as property, two cats, a fireplace which was actually necessary to keep us from freezing to death during winter. Sure, sometimes it was quite a pain to go outside, wade through the knee-deep snow to haul some firewood inside, which often got wet in the process or simply because of the weather. But, the result, namely sitting in front of the fire, with a cat on your lap, always was more than worth it. God, I get so nostalgic thinking about it.

[Karl]

Even though Karl tried to steal some of my underwear.

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And I would've gotten away with it, if it weren't for those meddling kids adults! Dx
And yes, it was very neat to wake up between Tako and Ice in the morning. And Icetongue was soooo cute with BlackRoses hairy thing in his arms. <3
I am looking forward to the winter BMT in a few months, with all of you and your love. Do you plan to come too, Glannargh?

I just have determine that people in this thread write more actual text with less smileys. Why did that happen? O_o

[Icetongue]

And Icetongue was soooo cute with BlackRoses hairy thing in his arms. <3

I just have determine that people in this thread write more actual text with less smileys. Why did that happen? O_o

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Firstly, that was a fox, not a hairy thing.
Seondly, when you study a language, any kind of informal writing is drilled out of your head. That's why I tend to sound like a total ass when speaking or writing English.
I guess it is kind of the same for the others. You tend to think more thoroughly about what and especially how you want to convey it. So, smileys and common platitudes are left out.

[Karl]

Firstly, that was a fox, not a hairy thing.

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Now you've done it. You wicked, wicked little thing just spoiled the tension

I guess it is kind of the same for the others. You tend to think more thoroughly about what and especially how you want to convey it. So, smileys and common platitudes are left out.

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Animexx musst be a well of german prodigies :x

[Turgon]

What a nice thread! I can't speak/write english very well, but I will post here to improve my english skills, just like Karl.

@Topic: I come from a rural area, where summertime is partytime. So I was often at home and not in the city where I go to the college. So I spent most of my summer at partys, although I should have rather studied^^'
Right now I study all day long, stupid tests-.-'

P.S. If you see some grammar mistakes, please tell me, I want to improve!

[T.U.F.K.A.S.]

Seondly, when you study a language, any kind of informal writing is drilled out of your head. That's why I tend to sound like a total ass when speaking or writing English.

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Oh, you're such a prick sometimes...

Yeah, people tell me that I sound like an Australian when I speak English. That's just friggin' fantastic, because I've never been to Australia and I know how the accent sounds like only because I watch Crocodile Hunter and Steve Irvin is was my goddamn hero ("It's awroyght, matey! I won't hurt cha, chap!"). Dude had balls of steel (no pun intended).

@Turgon: I think your English's okay so far My English ain't perfect either. Which is just great because I'm contributing action movie reviews for an English language-website

[drunken monkey]

@ Valada et al.*: Sorry, I didn't mean to trigger such a discussion. The corrections weren't really meant to be taken seriously, as they were deliberately nit-picky. But I guess light sarcasm works even worse in foreign languages than it does in the internet to begin with. ^^" The "You're welcome" was meant as the hint for that, anyways.
Also, the "their" correction (where, I think, few natives would have objected to the "his or her" variant (except maybe feminists insisting on "her or his" XO) anyways, so it's really more a comment than a correction) had the correction in the quote, the link was just meant to be a reference (as I'm already used to discussing this particular peculiarity of the language). If you overlooked that, it's not really my fault. Also, as it wasn't meant seriously, I just used the first reference I could find and didn't search for a German one (which, I agree, would of course make much more sense for a real correction).
Anyways, as said, I'm sorry to have come across as rude or unhelpful, and I agree we might need some rules for this. Although several people have already explicitly asked for being corrected, so it should at least be OK to correct those. (I myself would also like to be corrected, btw.)

And I would've gotten away with it, if it weren't for those meddling kids adults! Dx

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XD

@Turgon: I think your English's okay so far My English ain't perfect either. Which is just great because I'm contributing action movie reviews for an English language-website

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Ah, just build some Nazi reference into your pen name and German-y English could actually become your gimmick! ;P

@ Karl: Sorry, but I flat-out refuse to let my use of smileys be influenced by the language I write!

* I also flat-out deny that wirting my Master's thesis influences my English in any way.

[~Jack~]

Even though Karl tried to steal some of my underwear.

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So, Karl is turning into this?

[drunken monkey]

XD

Finally, we got to a more QFRAT-appropriate level here! Maybe this thread now has a chance of survival …

[Diomedes]

Finally, we got to a more QFRAT-appropriate level here! Maybe this thread now has a chance of survival …

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Finally, I can stop paying attention to this.

[Karl]

Finally, I can stop paying attention to this.

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You're such a bummer.

[Turgon]

I can't believe, how a little talk with a good looking woman can make my day
I studied the whole day long and was in a real bad mood. Before I went home, i got me some food from a drugstore.
After that a real nice woman came to me, she tried to convince me of donating money for Unicef.
So i had a little talk with her, that... I don't know... made me kinda happy

[Glannaragh]

The BMT was quite large, at least I felt so. We were surely 60 people, crowded in the youth centre, literally sleeping in every corner available.

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Wow! Who was the hero who organized such a large meeting? I've worked on some teenager summer camps and such for about fifteen years now but never dared to take all the organizing on me (such as renting a house, bus and so on. But I've visited literally every hospital in Sweden from Karlskrona to Mora ).

Even though Karl tried to steal some of my underwear.

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Sounds like you've had a lot of fun .

Do you plan to come too, Glannargh?

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Is that an invitation? Well, no, not really. I haven't got anything to do with the Makers and wouldn't know what to talk about...

After that a real nice woman came to me, she tried to convince me of donating money for Unicef.
So i had a little talk with her, that... I don't know... made me kinda happy

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And... did you donate some money?

[Icetongue]

Wow! Who was the hero who organized such a large meeting? I've worked on some teenager summer camps and such for about fifteen years now but never dared to take all the organizing on me (such as renting a house, bus and so on. But I've visited literally every hospital in Sweden from Karlskrona to Mora ).

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La Cipolla, Ty Ni, Borky, Aurae, Dr. Alzheim, V-King and Eisbaer are responsible for the BMT and apart from a handful of disagreeabilities with the schedules, they did a stellar job.

Is that an invitation? Well, no, not really. I haven't got anything to do with the Makers and wouldn't know what to talk about...

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That didn't stop me from attending. There's plenty of friendly and welcoming people and enough activities and work to do for everyone.
Well, to be fair, I knew some people beforehand, which was the main reason for me to go there, but my point still stands.