User Comments - Right-Wingnut

Posted on: Personal Chop

Lesson transcript here.

Posted on: The Life of a Programmer 3: Heading Home

In the podcast, Dilu says:

他可能不太会跟别人沟通。他可能不太会跟别人交流。

Does this mean that 沟通 and 交流 are emphasizing different things? What is each of those words actually saying?

Posted on: The Life of a Programmer 3: Heading Home

Lesson Transcript here.

Posted on: School Days

All of these silly grammar rules were made up by a handful of English writers in the 18th and 19th century. Of course a logical reason can be given for some of these rules, but there are lots of expressions that are not logically correct that no-one would ever challenge.

For example, why do we say "I am stupid, aren't I". Why aren't the pedants arguing that this should be "I am stupid, amn't I"? The answer is that it is clumsy, and 'taller than I' has the same feel.

Another example: when comparing two sporting teams that have already been referred to, who would seriously say "they are better than they"? Any normal person would say "they are better than them", and it would be correct because it is common usage.

And does it really matter if I like to f...ing split the infinitive or start my sentences with a conjunction?

Posted on: Excited about Exclamations! (Part 1)

No it doesn't work on my computer either.

In fact it seems to have picked up a new 'function'. It returns you to the discussion page when you are on another page.

Fix needed CPod.

Posted on: Scheduling a Time

There are 7 characters for 'te' in the Yellowbridge dictionary, and none mean 'help'. Were you possibly thinking of another word?

Posted on: Do You Want a Map?

Links to the various meanings of 要 in the grammar section.

1. To Want

2. To Want To

3. Will, going to

4. To Demand

5. Must, Should

6. Need (couldn't find a link)

And links to Qingwen episodes:

1. A Much-Needed Discussion of 需要 and 要

2. Must-Have Modals

3. Future fun with 会 (hui4), 要 (yao4), and 将 (jiang1)

Posted on: Getting an Appliance Fixed

Your last paragraph pretty much describes the situation, although it is a little confused by the fact that 什么 itself can mean 'something'. But here it means 'what?'. 问题 is probably a better option than 东西, but yes it really just an unspecified 'something' - after all the speaker doesn't yet know what the other person might need help with.

Posted on: Getting an Appliance Fixed

Abbreviating the sentence hides the reason for using the 的.

The important part of the sentence was 有什么可以帮您的吗？

The 的 is not modifying the 您. It is modifying the whole phrase: 可以帮您

There is an implied noun left off the end - let's say it is 东西.

So the sentence is 有 什么 (可以帮您) 的 [东西] 吗？

The modified noun is 'things I can help you with' - are there any?

Posted on: Get Happy!

Perhaps its time to tidy up the 'Team' list. There is no mention of Tom there. It also includes at least three people who have left CPod - Greg Eiselt, John Biesnecker and Peter Ning. It looks like it hasn't been updated in a couple of years.