Litnax

I use 'everytime' instead of 'every time' when I type or write. 'Everytime' feels more natural to me, so I'm always a bit annoyed when spellchecker correct it  :bored:

These words are acceptable to me...

*crowdfunding

*gamification

*hashtag

...but these?

* selfie

* tweep

It is interesting, I think, that the concept of "swear words" or "foul language" or whatever one wants to call it is common in many cultures and societies.  And as to why people use such language -- to be shocking, rebellious, break the rules, etc. -- also seems to be somewhat similar, too.

We are humans after all; not only we project our emotions through expressions, attitudes and actions, but through 'colourful' words too.

Haha, oh... I didn't know that swear-words got starred out on these forums. It was on a different forum that I got the warning of course, where swear words was not censored like that.

Without having to say the swearword in one way or another, it's the swearword that could be a synonym to poop. I think you know what I mean now

Just as I thought 

It is a swear word, but it depends on how you say it, who says it, where, when and whatnot. That being said, don't use it here 

There's a widely used phrase that amuses me. I just noticed it when someone brought it up in class. Have you heard the phrase, "Like for example..."? It's redundant to say like and example at the same time. The correct phrase should be, "take for example", "for example", and "like".  Am I right? :grin:

Argh, it annoys me when people add 'like' unnecessarily when they speak: "like, you know...", "like, when we..." , "like, yeah". Reminds me of Paris Hilton and... I can't remember the other one.

I wonder if I could use this technique for other languages?

Anyway, all shy people, regardless of what languages they're trying to master, would definitely benefit from this unusual method.

I keep wondering what is this swear word that got you a warning Lasonax.... I'm not brave enough to type it here though  I love this forum and I don't want to get kicked out. 

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." - Oscar Wilde

I really love this one. I've never heard it before.

Ahh catsup  :grin: Reminds me of The Simpsons every time I hear or see people use this word 

A chip on his/her shoulder

From my understanding, this expression means that a person who has been treated unfairly in the past, thus becomes less trustful and kind towards others. I'm not sure why this expression is used specifically for someone who's arrogant though.  :confused:

Yep, hopefully any native English speaker here could help explain this  :grin:

If the term 'bootylicious' got into Oxford, why not other new words (that mostly sounds ridiculous?) 

Hmm... of course there are countries that do not include English language in their education system. But the question is, which countries?

This is a superb topic to be discussed by the way 

I hope there are members here that can provide us with some info.

I prefer subtitles anytime, I can't stand any show where I can't listen to the original voices, it's sounds totally strange to me and I prefer not to watch it to be honest.

I second this.

Dubbed just doesn't sound good at all. It's weird for me to see the mouth not in sync with the voice.  :bored:

That's an interesting list. How would you 'justify' the languages 'Japanese' and 'Thai' being in your top 5 list? I would love to hear more about that 

*Japanese - as an avid fan of Japanese anime, naturally I want to be able to watch/read all my favorite anime/manga without relying too much on subtitle/translation. :ninja:

*Thai - I like to watch foreign films, including Thai films. Besides, I find the language phonetically easy for me to learn.

My list:

[1] English

[2] Japanese

[3] French

[4] Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese)

[5] Thai

I am and forever will be a TSR Endless Quest Books fan  :grin: (link below for those unfamiliar with TSR books)

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/878976.Mountain_Of_Mirrors

A few others that I can think of since most of those I know are already listed.

-Kick the bucket.

-Dead serious

-Bury the hatchet

-Kill the goose that lay the golden egg

That is new to me  :grin:

'has had/ have had/ had had'

A couple of years ago I thought I finally understood how and when to use present perfect and past perfect tense until someone corrected me. Can some provide a simple explanation for me? I know when to use has/have/had except when to put 'had' after the verb(s)?  :confused: At this point, I only understand that we use these tenses to indicate an action that began at some point in the past and has not yet reached its end.

I should be focusing on learning Japanese but find myself shifting to French now and then - and this is not good for me. My Japanese is going nowhere, in fact I'm forgetting some of the basics due to lack of commitment.

I want to share some Australian ones, since that's the country I'm from. We have lots of really silly ones, that barely even make sense to me! Don't try to use these anywhere except Australia, I don't imagine anyone would have any idea what you were talking about.

"Fair dinkum". When something is true or genuine. Can be used as a question.

"Bloody oath". It means like "Yes, this is true". You say it in agreement with someone.

"She'll be apples". Means everything will be alright!

Love that one  Sounds cute to me.

As a theater major, I'd have to say "break a leg" is my favorite. I must hear it a dozen times per show.

I was about eight or seven years old when my English teacher said "break a leg" before my first class drama - messed with my mind for several days before my mother explained the meaning to me  :grin:

Learned new ones (for me) today:

Hit (someone) below the belt

- to not follow the rules, to do something that is not fair (hitting low in boxing is not fair)

Back the wrong horse

- to make the wrong choice, to support the wrong thing (from horse racing)

Some idioms that are not that familiar to me (just learned about them today):

Watery grave

If someone has gone to a watery grave, they have drowned.

Grass widow

A grass widow is a woman whose husband is often away on work, leaving her on her own.

Gallows humour

If people try to make fun or laugh when things are very frightening, dangerous, life-threatening or hopeless, it is gallows humour (or "gallows humor").

The past tense is by far the most common tense used in novel writing today. Come to think of it, it is used everywhere: in newspapers, in non-fiction books, in magazines, on the news - you name it. The reason I believe that you should use the past tense is simple: it is what readers expect, and what they therefore feel comfortable with.

The present tense is an acceptable alternative, though it might be harder to write and might cause an unnecessary headache for you.  :nerd:

I often end my sentences when speaking with 'you know?' - It's becoming worst and I need to do something about it.  :shy: