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Posts: 2774

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Q: Difficult words for English learners

I was just taking the piss with DiverD and I realised that there are some words that are a ubiquitous problem.

Eg: ture = true

vedio = video

so fashion = fashionable

morton = moron

Are there any other words we can help our friends with?

5 years 51 weeks ago in  Teaching & Learning - China

 
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Shifu

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the thing is its very difficult for someone to realize their own problems when they speak or write. It might seem like a good question except people who answer won't benefit from this. And people who will benefit won't even on this site. 

 

 

 

iWolf:

It's the thought that counts

5 years 51 weeks ago
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Stiggs:

Hey, if it amuses us for a few hours then mission accomplished I reckon.

5 years 51 weeks ago
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5 years 51 weeks ago
 
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Off the top of my head...... gril = girl, no why = no reason , hot water isn't good for the healthy it's good for the health and baijiu isn't white wine, it's an abhorrent spirit / paint stripper.

icnif77:

I had to be carried out of the Hospital in China completely drunk.

Head of the Hospital asked me previous day: 'What kind of wine do you like?'

me: 'I like red, but white is also OK ...'

... what 'pron.' mistake on my part!

 

We had almost 2 bottles of Baiju with constant 'gambei' calls and my explanations why I don't bottom-up hard liquor.

Not too many people outside of China believe I entered Hospital in sound health and I had to be carried toward the exit few hours later.

OIC! 

5 years 51 weeks ago
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icnif77:

dub from my Nokia-i-Phone in red ...

5 years 51 weeks ago
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Stiggs:

ganbei....

5 years 51 weeks ago
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5 years 51 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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Any word with a th gives them trouble

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5 years 51 weeks ago
 
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good for healthy - good for your health

 

So traffic - Lot of traffic

 

 so sourly - it's sour

 

Let's fighting - Keep it up

 

I'm so boring - I'm bored

 

I'm so annoying - I'm annoyed

 

Stiggs:

Yeah the boring /annoying ones are misused a lot, I often can't be bothered correcting them so just heartily agree instead.

 

People probably think I'm not all there when I giggle to myself... 

5 years 51 weeks ago
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iWolf:

Often the boring/annoying thing is an unintended mistake but is usually ture [sic].

5 years 51 weeks ago
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yeah,,,, hearing them tell me everything is 'good for healthy' drives me fkn nuts! Oh,,, eat this smelly sh*t, 'it's good for healthy',,, here drink this crap,,, 'it's good for healthy'.... agggggh,,,, listening to 'em keep blabbering that nonsense makes me wanna go postal! ,,'good for healthy' too I'm sure?

philbravery:

Diver D old mate Just remember that old saying that what doesn't kill you straight away will get you in your sleep.

5 years 51 weeks ago
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diverdude1:

ain't it the truth...

 

5 years 51 weeks ago
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5 years 51 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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the thing is its very difficult for someone to realize their own problems when they speak or write. It might seem like a good question except people who answer won't benefit from this. And people who will benefit won't even on this site. 

 

 

 

iWolf:

It's the thought that counts

5 years 51 weeks ago
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Stiggs:

Hey, if it amuses us for a few hours then mission accomplished I reckon.

5 years 51 weeks ago
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5 years 51 weeks ago
 
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Sorry, excuses me, Please, May I ,
Thank you, ......ect

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5 years 51 weeks ago
 
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In China

 

Let me be honest

Let me be frank

 

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5 years 51 weeks ago
 
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How are you?   I'm 21 years old. (vice versa)

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5 years 51 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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'integrity' indecision

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5 years 51 weeks ago
 
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Only the ones beginning with a letter from the English alphabet.

 

*at least here in McFknNoWheresVille

 

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5 years 51 weeks ago
 
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try and pronounce "usually" with out putting an "r" in the word.

icnif77:

'JUZZH' -pause- 'VAA' -pause- 'LII' - exhale! - USUALLY!

 

Imagine class of 55 students repeats after me .... 'juzzh' pause ... 

5 years 51 weeks ago
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By the way where did you Lymies get the word "gerocomium" from.

icnif77:

 

https://www.wordaz.com/gerocomium.html

 

- more common than institutions of a more specific nature, such as the gerocomium (a place for the old), nosocomium (for the sick) and orphanotropium (for ...

 

 

 

5 years 51 weeks ago
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iWolf:

I'm not a lymie but one of the antipodean lymie convict class.....however, my best guess is gero- old geezer com - community ium - restricted building like a sanatorium. So a place that keeps old geezers locked up and on drugs.

5 years 51 weeks ago
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ambivalentmace:

some greek word for outsiders and pilgrims treated for the plague in the middle ages but not a common word in America, I had a Chinese student telling a lie on a college application about volunteer work at a gerocomium, nursing home, I did not know Beijing had dictionaries from the middle ages at the library.

5 years 51 weeks ago
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Iwolf, did you see the news on the you tube shooter, a lady with a Muslim name, vegan, animal rights lover complaining about censorship of her  you tube videos.  This is weird in so many ways. They said her workout video was to racey. Racey, she is not even a 6 on scale to 10.

ambivalentmace:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/punish-muslim-day-york-braces-082530683.html

 

Punish a muslim day is April 3rd, my birthday and somebody honored one of my wishes. Should I celebrate, never mind, no German Chocolate cake in China, another lousy birthday.

5 years 51 weeks ago
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iWolf:

I haven't seen it yet. I don't have a vpn. I have to wait for my (Chinese) wife to come home with her laptop. Ironically, it has a vpn.

5 years 51 weeks ago
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ScotsAlan:

We saw it. Thank fuck she was a stupid bitch who did not know how to buy and use an AR15. Fuck me, if she had Been an NRA member she would have been able to take out 20. For fucks sake, wind your necks in.

5 years 51 weeks ago
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ambivalentmace:

http://countryboysports.com/

 

If she lived in Georgia, she could buy from professionals.

5 years 51 weeks ago
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5 years 51 weeks ago
 
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Scottish should be a separate language. When Scottish is finaly recognised as a language by the UN, I will shout out hurrah. I will be an ethnic minority. Should get me a few more points on the work visa thing.

icnif77:

Poms, they'll never let W. Churchill go ...  .. and 'I am Native Scottish English teacher ...' could never qualify you for Working permit. Pron. wise. he he

5 years 51 weeks ago
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Difficult words to hear and spell out.

Weird

Accommodate

Handkerchief

Indict

Cemetary

Conscience

Rhythm

playwright

embarrass

pharaoh

liaison

 

An easy way to remember and memorize these words (and more) is to make flashcards and understanding their meaning.

ScotsAlan:

I used one word in a technical email today that I knew my Chinese colleagues would need to look up to translate. The word was 'sandwich'. The email was about balancing up and down forces acting on something in the middle. To be honest, most of the words you posted above, and the word 'sandwich' are pretty pointless in conversational English.

5 years 46 weeks ago
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ScotsAlan:

My 6 year old daughter speaks English as a second language. For things that fly, I taught her 3 words. Aeoroplane, helicoptor and bird. Thats enough. No need to know air liner, jet fighter, refueling tanker etc. The brain only has so much space after all.

5 years 46 weeks ago
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5 years 46 weeks ago
 
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Trumpster native speakers always seem to be confused with there and their when they post on The Daily Fail comments section.

Jean.P:

eCcities native members are often mistaken using "your" instead of "you're", and "than" instead of "then", and "its" instead of "it's" when they post on eCcities Answers section.

5 years 46 weeks ago
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ScotsAlan:

I have not noticed that. Examples would be appreciated.

5 years 46 weeks ago
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icnif77:

Native English speakers aren't mistaken by not using apostrophe.

Difference between 'it is' with or without apostrophe is commonly understandable between Native English speakers and only English beginners (NNES) see it as a mistake.

Once, you read the whole sentence, Native English speaker can easily determine either writer meant possessive adjective or he/she forgot to use apostrophe while typing over the i-Brick.

NNES as Jean above likes to turn that into 'disrespect to English Grammar rules', but this and similar websites aren't Magoosh TOEFL Prep. ....

5 years 45 weeks ago
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Rhapsody

 

Flocculate

 

Xenophobe

 

Capitulate

 

Antidisestablishmentarianism

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5 years 46 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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I know a guy whose name is Morton. I hope he doesn't come to China. I don't think he realizes people will call him "Moron"indecision

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5 years 45 weeks ago
 
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Dotard re-entered the English language this year Smile

Come on, own up. Who was the teacher who taught him that?

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5 years 45 weeks ago
 
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Answer of the DayMORE >>
A:  "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "S
A: "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "Shenzhen agent can connect you with an employer, who's authorized to hire waigouren ... and can sponsor Z visa." It's not like every 10th person you meet in Shenzhen's hood can sponsor work visa ...  The only way to change from student to labourer visa is just a regular way by: 1. Finding an employer, who'll apply for an Invitation letter; 2. Exit China and apply for Z visa in your home country's Chinese embassy; 3. Enter China in 30-days after Z visa was stamped into your travelling instrument ...As I am aware, you won't be able to switch to Working permit by remaining in China....,so make ready for a return to your home .... -- icnif77