User Comments - taibeitimes
taibeitimes
Posted on: Yang Jie's Diary: Date with a Nerd
October 17, 2007 at 6:15 AMHi, Got a question regarding the use of shi4...de (是...的). in the expansion, there is the following sentence: 你跟他约了几点见面？ (What time did you arrange to meet him at?) Why not use shi4...de for this sentence since we seem to be focusing on time? My understanding is that shi4...de is often used when emphasizing time, place, how, etc. Maybe the problem is between the chair and the keyboard (i.e. me), but my impression is that its use is a bit arbitrary. Thanks.
Posted on: Wang Wei's Diary: Food and Girls
October 5, 2007 at 8:29 AMCan't you guys get back to real life topics like Godzilla attacking Shanghai or hardware suppliers dispatching ninjas???
Posted on: How do you take your coffee?
September 22, 2007 at 1:25 AMNo reason to go to Starbucks in Taipei unless you desire the Starbucks designer cafe and ambiance... so many choices which are far cheaper and better in some instances. QK (and many other cafes) uses Lavazza (nice Italian espresso; better than SB IMHO) and usually has free wireless. Even 7-11 and Family Mart have fresh made coffee which isn't bad. Usually I just buy a can of Lavazza gold and DIY at home.
Posted on: Death by Ninja
September 15, 2007 at 9:17 AMHammertime! Good thing Pete wasn't dealing with a sex toy supplier. Not sure if ghosts are big in the mainland like here in Taiwan, but it is definitely possible to have a black cat jump over Pete's corpse resulting in some kind of super ghost mayhem in the hammer supply industry. Or... Peter miraculously survives, crawls 100km through a mountain pass on a rainy night to a Shaolin temple (located next door to an Ace Hardware and a KFC) where he is nursed back to health by a gongfu master (specializing in hardware art forms). Naturally, Pete learns various hardware gongfu techniques (i.e. crowbar claw, screwdriver thrust), does some amazing charity work for Habitat for Humanity, and later takes revenge upon evil hammer guy and his ninja death squad.
Posted on: Playing the Stock Market
July 29, 2007 at 5:23 AMAny ideas on the following: bonds dividend commodities short sale margin account Thanks
Posted on: Studying Japanese
July 4, 2007 at 2:47 PMWhile many folks in the mainland despise Japan (generally speaking), the feeling is much different here in Taiwan. Although the Japanese weren't all good during their occupation of Taiwan, there seems to be a lot of respect for Japan, Japanese culture and Japanese people here in Taiwan. Taiwan and Japan... two topics that will get folks in the mainland all wound up :-)
Posted on: Chinese Wedding Customs
May 23, 2007 at 3:53 AMThe biggest discrepancy between the elementary between the elementary and intermediate lessons seems to be the amount of Chinese conversation. The elementary broadcast is maybe 10% whereas the interemediate is at least 60% maybe? Furthermore, the intermediate lesson is signficantly broader and dynamic in scope. I feel both the intermediate and elementary lessons/broadcasts are well done. However, I feel the elementary level doesn't offer enough for listening practice. While there are a number of lessons to access, they offer very brief dialogues covering a variety of topics and vocabulary. Perhaps some summary lessons could be done periodically which offer primarily dialogue, some brief overiew and references to previous lessons with vocab, grammar, etc. which make up the basis for the summary lesson. I agree that elementary students need to challenge themselves and there is a gap going from elementary to intermediate. Nevertheless, the elementary level could offer more in terms of quality listening practice in making that transition IMHO.
Posted on: Yang Jie's Diary: Date with a Nerd
October 17, 2007 at 7:38 AMhi amber, thanks for the reply. how do the 2 questions really differ? the question not using shi4...de by its very nature appears to be emphasizing time, no? what is unclear in examples like these is how one question/sentence provides more emphasis than another? by emphasis do you mean in the feeling or mood the question/sentence conveys? thanks