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Post by Salmastryon on Sept 16, 2004 14:35:14 GMT -5
There's one of those in the library. The nice thing about the speller divider dictionary is that it is compact and it only lists the words not the definitions, which makes it very handy to double check spelling of words. It is sitting right next to my thesaurus. I rarely pull out the large webster's dictionary anymore. Most of the time I use dictionary.com
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Post by cesmith on Sept 16, 2004 16:49:46 GMT -5
There's something nostalgic and romantic about a big dictionary??
Ok, the truth is I'm computer illiterate and I don't know how to pull up the message board and dictionary.com at the same time. (Just found out I do know how to do it, I just thought I was doing it wrong.)
The truth is I do like the large dictionary and I like having the meanings there too. I enjoy reading the word origins and the multiple meanings. Today I looked up the word brunet and found that I've always spelled it brunette, but that's the feminine form, so I've either been using it incorrectly or spelling it wrong forever. Then I checked blond. Same thing. Word origins is a fascination of mine, but it's been a long time since I had the opportunity to study them.
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Post by kanshu on Sept 18, 2004 11:16:41 GMT -5
cesmith: if you have Internet Explorer as a browser, you just need to go to "File" and then chose "New window". That will automatically open a second browser window. Oh, btw, thanks for the blond/e brunet/te thing... it never occured to me that there was a different. But you're right! (makes mental note) Mmm... i understand the thing with having paper in your hand rather than just pixels on the screen. And, you can use the good old paper dictionaries to whack it over the heads of people, too.
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Post by kellen on Sept 19, 2004 4:03:52 GMT -5
Optimoose, I too love the big paper dictionaries. If I start getting frustrated, throwing the book will pro'ly cause less damage than throwing the laptop across the room. LoL.
cheers,Kellen
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Post by cesmith on Sept 21, 2004 23:03:04 GMT -5
My Websters dictionary is about 5 inches thick, hard-covered and weighs at least 20 pounds. If I wacked anyone with it I'd do serious damage.
As I said, I love it because it gives me so much more than just the spellings. I know that Dictionary.com is easier to use, but not as informative. I love having the pronunciations, the multiple meanings, the correct spellings for different tenses and sometimes even synonyms and antonyms all in one spot.
OptiMoose, thanks for the tip on how to open both at the same time. It's easier than the way I was doing it.
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Post by Me-Nuriko on Sept 22, 2004 0:28:18 GMT -5
I use both an online dictionary; a Swedish-English one, and a real book. English-English (Oxford Dictionary). It works most of the time for me. I'm having trouble when I don't know the word in English and it's not in the online dictionary. So I've started to look for more online Sw.-En dictionaries.
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Post by kanshu on Sept 22, 2004 1:54:57 GMT -5
My 'largest' dictionary is my trusted German-English/English-German one, by PONS. It was a luxury item to buy, but I didn't rue saving up the money for that. The only problem with it is that looking up words is always interrupting the flow of writing, so I usually end up with the less stylish phrasing of "do it yourself"... :/
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Post by kitsuneoni on Sept 23, 2004 2:28:26 GMT -5
Kellen: Honestly, you do a great job, and I'm impressed with how much effort you put into your writing.
Personally, I can never choose between spoken and written word.
What I love about writing is that you can look over what you have written and change things. Sometimes, when I'm annoyed, I write out a really long response, delete it all, and respond calmly.
What I love about speaking, however, is that it is ten times easier to express emotion, to gesture (an Italian habit of mine) etc...
As for being misunderstood, I don't really have that problem as it's only happened to me once. Normally, when I feel that I might be misunderstood or might be seen as attacking a person (when I go on my spelling-correcting flings), I try to say something along the lines of "Don't take me wrong, blablabla" or use gestures to explain things such as *g* or even smilies, depending on how formally I'm writing.
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Post by iapetus on Sept 25, 2004 18:42:24 GMT -5
Kellen: I had no idea you had any sort of reading impediment by the way you type your posts. You're doing an amazing job.
As for the original topic, I have this problem all the time. I am often very sarcastic, and it is VERY hard to express in an IM conversation. At least when I am writing, I can put at the end of a quote "he said, sarcasticially," or something along those lines. It helps, but that doesn't work in an IM unless someone likes to speak about themself in third person. ^^;;
This problem about people understanding what I'm trying to say is mainly for my online friends. My friends in RL know how I would say things, and can "hear" the expression in my statements. One of the many reasons I would love to meet many of my online friends is so they could actually get the full meaning of various things I try to tell them. I know that things must get lost when they talk to me as well, and it can be frustrating.
And a suggestion for those of you who are writing in English from another language... I have a similar problem that you do, and English is still my first language. ^^; However, I got around it by simply writing down the word or concept that I'm thinking of but want to change, and would come back to it later. This way, it does not destroy your writing flow, and you can go fix it in the revision of your story. ^^
I've only just recently started to do this, but it is AMAZING what it has done for my writing. I can get so much more done now... *__*
(Usually, when I mark it off I do so with bolding the text in question or surrounding it with astricks. This makes it easy to find when I go to do the revision.)
-Iapetus
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Post by kellenanne on Sept 26, 2004 12:17:32 GMT -5
(for some reason I can't seem to log in...) And a suggestion for those of you who are writing in English from another language... I have a similar problem that you do, and English is still my first language. ^^; However, I got around it by simply writing down the word or concept that I'm thinking of but want to change, and would come back to it later. This way, it does not destroy your writing flow, and you can go fix it in the revision of your story. ^^ -Iapetus Now why haven't I thought of that? LoL. *adds tip to "Tip Notebook"* (Yes, I have a Tip Notebook. LoL. It really helps sometimes.) Ah, and I know what you mean with the sarcasm. I've a sarcastic bend and a dry humor, and that is incredibly difficult to get across in the written word. Thanks for the kind words, though I don't feel that amazing this morning. BAD morning for writing/talking... geez... Otherwise, this post'd be longer... LoL. cheers,Kellen
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Post by kanshu on Sept 28, 2004 5:41:14 GMT -5
Hope, you feel better, Kellen. *hugs*
kitsune-oni: Well, even the smilies sometimes aren't enough. :/ I guess it's because we are constructed to interact with a "visible" partner in communication that we are so dependend on our 'FX'... Then again, if such a thing wasn't there, it would be even harder - and a smile often helps taking back things said thoughtlessly... even if it doesn't 'erase' them. That's the thing that is the same with written and spoken language - once a word is out, it's impossible to delete it.
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Post by therhoda on Sept 28, 2004 6:00:52 GMT -5
You also can't use the super secret highly dangerous weapon in written form. *Puppy Eyes* dosn't get me out of nearly what the real thing does. But I will point out written has it's upside too. I personally am much better at written than spoken. I tend to have the filters off and I no longer am as inhibited as I am in person. So you get a much clearer picture (although Chris says the accent dosn't come through) of who I am by reading than you normally will just meeting me. I'm Shy. And there is a rumor that I am sane, can't figure out where that one comes from. Now for a down side with me you only get the words that I normally would say out loud. (yes I talk lots) anything other than that be it puppy dog eyes, pouting lips, even a curled snarl don't get put down. I think You can see it already, by the words. Miss conception or not.
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Post by cesmith on Sept 28, 2004 6:20:18 GMT -5
Rhoda, SHY?? Fooled me. Out going, Energetic, Wicked sense of humor, Giggly, Giggly, Giggly. The first three come through your written word, the last part you enjoy in person.
The accent is important because it gives more personality to the an individual. Besides, Rhoda's reminds me of my little sister.
I'm one of those weird people that "hears" the written word as I read it. My ming automatically translates it into sound and I picture the person. I'm usually way off, but I do form images from what people write, it just happens.
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Post by Salmastryon on Sept 28, 2004 6:41:15 GMT -5
I myself tend to be more shy when it comes to writing then I am in real person. That's probably because when I'm face to face I can adjust as I go. When I'm writing, there is no adjusting to people's reactions. As a result, I'm always afraid that I'm coming across as stiff or that I sound like I'm lecturing. *^^*
In person, I'm much more relaxed because I know I can entertain a person and not offend them.
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Post by Me-Nuriko on Sept 28, 2004 7:17:26 GMT -5
I'm more myself in my writing. Probably because when I write, I can't see the horror or disgust in other people's eyes when they found out what weird person I am. ;D I definitely have had enough of people telling me how to behave.
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