Who can call English their own?

Okay... but I don't think you answered the question. What else is the English language, other than a tool to deliver your message (or what you want to say)?

Pretty much sums up the reason I skip over her posts. Though Pheelyks's replies are usually too clever to ignore.

An awfully intelligent, educated and cultured person. All can see that except She of Superior Idiocy and I find it galling, to say the least.

You guys!...I'm blushing.

"The ability to make large sweeping claims without providing any references or evidence other than you own assertions is not proof of intellectual superiority so much as it is evidence of you arrogance and inability to engage in a true academic debate"

Nice to see Phleeky that you realise at last what an utter retard you and your fellow pinheads are in falsely accusing others of being individuals they are not - based solely on your and other retards' opinions.

Maybe in fact YOU are a Melissa - there is just as much evidence for that as your illiterate, ignorant assertions - but then, you do prove my points about the United States of A-holes...and its moronic standard of education. As do your lackeys.

Get a room retarded mentalists! And Phleeky - you are blushing because of your medication, no doubt.

You guys indeed... What a bunch of losers!

I hate run-ons, verbiage and the blatant disregard of basic punctuation rules. Why aren't there any comas? Do comas scare you as much as making sense does?

I am going to sue you on behalf of the English language.

WRT - HA HA HA HA HA!

There you go trying to be clever - but wait, what a moron do we have here: he appears to be in a COMA!!!! That must be why he spouts piffle like a retarded twit!

By the way retard, the first rule of COMMAS is IF IN DOUBT LEAVE IT OUT - people of low liguistic and academic ability tend to overuse them. There are NO definite 'rules' to using punctuation - it depends on context and style. FOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOT using commas much in the CONTEXT of a slummy scammy absurb message board context is perfectly acceptable - and actually to be advised for advanced users of English. For more formal and academic Enlisg one would use - but NOT overuse - commas. One would NEVER use COMAS however. HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!! MOOOOORRRRRRROOOOONNNNN!!!

Enjoy your COMA illiterate retard little girlie boy. What a prat you are!!! Tosser.

No comment :)
Pheelyks ... please take over.


SOS Pheelyks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WRT - listen you cretin: I know more about the English language than 99.9% of people, and certainly more than retards like Phleeky (he thinks an accent and a dialcet are the same HA HA HA HA HA what a MORON!).

There are NO DEFINITIVE RULES TO PUNCTUATUON. That is a fact. Context is all. YOU are a fool.

If you want to wallow in illterate ignorance - your problem boy. Not mine. In fact I find it hilarious that the more ignorant people are the more they tend to be sure of themselves and go around yelling at others about how their errors and correct, MOST amusing for someone with an intellect about ten times anyone's here.

SO funny - and yet SO sad. Ahhh bless...

I pity any poor sod who gets their essays written by the retards here!!!! They must fail BADLY for their illiteracy and ignorance.

Sorry to interrupt your scholarly sweet-talk with 106 posts and just two references, let me ask a quick question (asking out of genuine and sincere interest) does all this anger and hatred come together with a superior British diploma?

They're still debating on whether OxbridgeExpert is British or Australian.


It's true that punctuations are sometimes flexible; but there are some definitive rules. For instance, a period is still used to end a sentence and a question-mark is still used at the end of a question. These, I believe are definitive rules.

Lucky you, I wish we could have the luxury of being able to put a coma wherever it just *looks* right.

[offtopic]

Back in Russia, in the times of Catherine II used to do this trick with comas: whenever the question arose whether to execute or spare life, she could just put a coma in the following:

Execute can't forgive

Cases could be two:
Execute, can't forgive (=death)
Execute can't, forgive (=mercy)

It doesn't translate that well, but you get the message
[end offtopic]

That's actually a great way of describing the function of a "coma". Misuse it and it may mean death. Nice post. I can use this. Thanks.


That's actually a great way of describing the function of a "coma". Misuse it and it may mean death. Nice post. I can use this. Thanks.

Alex, any one of your posts is worth 200 of hers :) Honestly, she is not British and one doubts whether she is educated at all. Facts have no place in her world :)


Excellent post! Very nice way of illustrating the importance of punctuation.


Take that back, AsianWriter, or I will call you a Melissa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I stand by what I say:

"There are NO DEFINITIVE RULES TO PUNCTUATION. That is a fact. Context is all."

Orthography has definite rules (since the 17th/18th centuries); punctuation does NOT: context is all.

Asian Writer - you say: "It's true that punctuations are sometimes flexible; but there are some definitive rules. For instance, a period is still used to end a sentence and a question-mark is still used at the end of a question. These, I believe are definitive rules."

But you forget about context. For example, there are no full stops (American:period) at the ends of sentences in signs - look next time you are in a British supermarket or shopping centre! Same with question marks - sometimes questions can carry no question mark: eg "where do you want to go today"

Also commas can be used, semi-colons, colons, dashes - or no punctuation at all - at the end of a sentence or question. The English language in particular is flexible and malleable, which is one reason it is the international language and so good for literature, songs, poetry etc.

A text message may have no punctuation - and that is fine; a message on a message board may have no commas and that is fine; academic or legal English has more punctuation, but also a more latinate and formal vocabulary, longer sentences, longer paragraphs, no contracted forms and many other features not found in a message board context - which is essentially a virtual verbal exchange. The punctuation is a minor part of differences in register in English.

Commas indeed can sometimes change meaning - but in general, the less they are used the better; poor users of English llike those posting here will typically overuse commas.

I am extremely well qualified in the English language, y'see - so perhaps best to accept the views of your intellectual superiors WRT et al. Some of us know what we're talking about. You do not.

Still laughing at COMAS though - HA HA HA - really WRT, if you do not even know how to spell COMMA then you should butt out and go back to school. Primary school! HA HA HA HA HA!!!!

Please let us know the 'facts in your world' you retarded twit! For example, evidence that I am not British or am female or am called M...you know who? You are a stranger to facts, WRT - What a Retarded Tosser you are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now go away and get an education - then, in a few years, you may reach about half my IQ level and you will realise that facts need evidence to back them up, not just mouthy littel saddos on a sad scummy scammy message board. What a Retarded Tosser!!!!!

WRT - can you spell 'comma' now? Please write out 1000 times and see me tomorrow. Little boys eh...

Alex20 - shame your example doesn't really translate from the Russian well; also, punctuation and placing of commas varies between languages. A better example (in English) to show how a comma can change meaning would be:

she speaks French naturally (adverb meaning 'in a natural way)
she speaks French, naturally (adverb meaning 'of course')

Please take no notice all EFL speakers of the retarded, ill-educated and - quite frankly - WRONG WRONG WRONG advice on the English langauge from American retards here: WRT cannot even spell 'comma' and believes there are fixed rules and context has no importance (all wrong); Phleeks believes an accent and a dialect are the same thing (wrong wrong wrong!). Learning from idiots ina COMA who do not know what they are talking about is less than worthless.

Alex 20

You said (rather pointlessly):

"Sorry to interrupt your scholarly sweet-talk with 106 posts and just two references, let me ask a quick question (asking out of genuine and sincere interest) does all this anger and hatred come together with a superior British diploma?"

I shall use that as an example of how NOT to use the comma. After 'references' there should be a full stop, a semi-colon, a dash - or a conjunction such as 'so' or 'and'. YOu cannot in English use a comma to connect two clauses like this.

And please know, that in British English we do not talk of diplomas - at university we get degrees, not diplomas - the latter mean nothing really because any private business school or English school can just print their own. But a degree BA (Hons) or BSc (Hons) means something - though not much any more now so many have degrees. So where you studied is important now, and lots of people are forced to do Master's just to stand out from the crowd (and many of these MAs and MScs are easy peasy too).

Sadly, for money reasons, we in the UK and our universities are dumbing down - but thank F not as much as The United States of Dumbos....

Ok, I got the word "Comma" wrong, admit that.

I also have to admit that you are a great demagogue, but nothing more than that.


I would say I can:

Two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) or having a complementary relationship may or may not be separated by commas, depending on preferred style, or sometimes a desire to overcome ambiguity.

Source: Fowler, H. W.; Burchfield, R. W. (2000). The New Fowler's Modern English Usage (Third, revised ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 162.

Regarding the degree vs. diploma phrasing, I will take note of that. However I am sure you understood the question (metonymy was rather obvious there), but still evaded the question. And I was not asking "rather pointlessly", as you put it - I am selecting a school to continue my education, and if that's what they teach you at school, then your "superior British educational system" sucks big time. Feel sorry for the remaining 7%.

Alex, just when I had made up my mind that I like you :( This poster has never been to a British school in her entire life. She has not even visited the UK, ever.

Oxbridge, which part of the UK are you from? Which schools did you attend?

Oxbridge, I left numerous remarks all over the board which only a Brit would understand. They had zero effect on you. You made a serious factual error which only a foreigner would ever make and till now, you do not even know what that error was.

Your `pretend to be British' is not convincing anybody.

WRT,

I apologize for that of course. Obviously I recognize that is not so. Being polite and having respect for other is not part of any university curriculum, because this should be taught in kindergarten and primary school. I just can't put up with how uneducated in her education Melissa is. :-P

That is a good one :)

What is your major? It is often best to select a university according to its ranking in your area of speciality.

I major in Linguistics, however I want to refocus and pursue a business degree with an emphasis in Finance and/or Management. It appears that the best business schools are essentially in the US - correct me if I am wrong.

You are right. If you are going for business, the States has the best business schools out there. Top-notch, high calibre education; impeccable reputation.

Alex20 the EFL Russian boy. Listen sonny, you may be able to quote Fowler - as anyone can - but in relation to YOUR sentence YOU USED THE COMMA WRONGLY; you CANNOT link THOSE two clauses by using a comma - there are of course exmaples where you can.

My advice - do NOT waste you roubles on going b ack to school. If you are not prepared to learn, you are not worth teaching!!! (PLEASE NOTE - THAT is how a comma can connect two clauses you dumb Russian!).

Please also note: my rudeness is only in response to insults and abuse and libel and l.ies against me. I am justified. My retarded libellous paranoid deluded attackers are not.

WRT - pleass just go and take an overdose you moron. The worl will be a better place without paranoid mentalist liars like you.

Please post evidence that I am called Melissa and am Australian.

I am British and male - and I do not have to justify that or anything else to a retard like you who is not fit to lick my feet or wipe my arse.

Alex20 - a new moron to the board. May I recommend you go back to Kindegarten and take you sugar daddy with you. Lick him boy! Lick lick lick! No wonder you Russians and slavs/SLAVES - you have no original thought or self-respect.

Thank the lord I am British!

WRT - please be aware that I ignore all your pathetic paranoid mentalist lies so your comment: "Oxbridge, I left numerous remarks all over the board which only a Brit would understand. They had zero effect on you." Is ABSURD!!!!!!

You are no detective What a Retarded Tosser. So please do not try to be clever - you are not and will never be and will just make a fool of yourself.

I AM LAUGHING AT YOU BOY NOT WITH YOU! Some people should never have been born. You, for example.

Prove to me that I am not me! Prove to me that YOU ( a retard tosser) know more about me than I do.

If not - then F and suck Alex out as he is doing to you. Disgusting filth! You deserve each other. Get a disease eh and die - then we will no longer have to put up with your presence in the world.

Prove to me why you should be alive WRT. Prove that the world would be a worse place without you!

Prove that you are not Melissa! Prove to me that you are not Australian.

U R A CNT! End of.

Alex20 - the United States of Retards has the MOST EXPENSIVE business schools in the world. Some consider themselves the best - but then, American BS merchants think they are the best in everything in their deluded little American dream! Pathetic and sad really.

Business schools in the USA will teach you to be completely amoral, how to be a nazi fascist and exploit people, and to creat a system which has just plunged the whole world into recession.

Yeah right - those American business schools are the best in the world AT MESSING UP THE WORLD ECONOMY AND TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO BE FASCISTIC FILTH.

But bearing in mind Russia is a country of crooks and mafiosi and your president is an amoral dictator and Russians have no culture and only care about money no matter how many they kill and torture - I am sure you will LOVE the US business schools experience.

Russians are also all massively racist - like the *****-killing Americans. Let;s home a home boy doesn;t shoot you eh.... On the other hand...

You are not a British male. You are Melissa :) Come on ... what are you waiting for? Get me and everyone else here for libel. Don't talk about it, do it. Take action, Melissa.

I am calling you, Melissa, dishonest. Go get me for libel.
I am calling you a racist. Another instance of libel?
I am accusing you of violating copyright laws and of misrepresenting yourself, Melissa. Libel?

Go ahead, sue me, the forum and everyone here.

The truth is not libel, especially when the truth is absolute. Go ahead, take action. Follow up on your threats.

Why are you even here? You have nothing to say; your posts are, without exception, comprised of vulgar nonsense. You have insulted every member here and are looked down upon by all. Why are you here? What are you trying to prove?

Go, be a success, get a life and flaunt your success in our collective faces. Come on, do it if you can. Show us how wrong we are and prove that you, Melissa, can make something out of your life and that you can succeed. Show us that you have an honest bone in your body. We have only seen the numerous mean bones in your body. We have been made privy to your psychological disturbances and now want to see if there's any normalcy in your make-up.

Yes, post a long strong of insults in response. What's new?

Oxbridge, if you're not Melissa, why take it so personally? Why should it affect you at all?

Libel:
1) if you are not Melissa but an unknown, anonymous poster, then none of our remarks concern you and you can't even argue libel. All our posts are directed to Melissa.

2) if you are Melissa, try to sue for libel and you will discover that, since we have not falsely accused you but have stuck to the truth, then it is not libel.

Go ahead, sue.

Melissa/British male

You are one hell of a clown, Melissa. Keep writing, you have just made my day. I was taking you seriously at first, but it took me a couple of posts to understand it's not worth it.

2 all other writers:

is it only Melissa or is it universally accepted that Ukraine and Russia are one and the same country? It's like saying Northern Ireland is France.

Alex20 - go on suck em boy - spout their lies for them. You are not as much of a retard as your owners slave boy.

I am NOT Melissa or Australian.

If you are you slave owners want to spout that lie then it is THEY who are making fools of themselves.

Give proof for your absurd opinion suck-boy. Or shut the F up.

Ukraine is a stupid little non-country. End of. Half the people speak Russian and want to be part of Russia, so you analogy of France and northern Ireland is ridiculous. E- for that particular piece of academic retardation. But you're in good company here slave boy. Perhaps you COULD have said Germany and Austria as an analogy... But then, you didn't because you are are thick.

Ukraine is full of crooks and mafia. And scam essay companies. The rest are in the United States of Scammers and Pakiland.

Ukraine produced the moron called Alex20 after all who refuses to learn from people who are learned and intelligent and prefers the company of liars and morons who talk crap. You are not worth it boy - you are a NOTHING and will always remain one. Like you stupid little non-country - home of w*0res and the mafia. And soup. God what an awful hellhole Ukraine is. GO RUSSIA - blow the stupid little non-country and its retard people to pieces!

Now - where is YOUR evidence Alex the Slave C sucker that YOU are not Melissa in Australia?
If you cannot prove that you are not Melissa - then YOU ARE MELISSA!!!!!!!!

Can you ALL not see HOW STUPID YOU ALL SOUND!!!!????

Obviously not.

Oh but I forgot - you are all retards and paranoid lunatics.

Keep barking at the moon sas.

Still laughing AT here. Fools.

I hope Melissa puts a spell on you all!

Only Melissa :) She is supposed to be British and yet, did not even know that Scotland had its own independant parliament and government. She assumed that the UK released the Lockerbie bomber when it was Scotland which did. She did not even know that Scotland's First Minister and its Justice Secretary made that decision, not Brown, not the UK. Only a non-Brit would ever assume that Scotland is not, to a great degree, autonomous or would refer to a Scottish decision as a British one.

Alex20 - read the EssayScamAlert thread, pls. You will be overwhelmed :)

WRT - Scotland is NOT an independent country you MORON! YOU ARE WRONG YET AGAIN! It has a first minister and a parliament with VERY limited powers indeed.

Brown influences the decision by the Scottish justice minister - because that is how politics works MORON.

Because I am British and highly educated I know such things; because you are a retard and know no history and have no culture, you do not.

SCOTLAND IS NOT INDEPENDENT? England never took that independence - the countires merged and England with Wales gave up their independence to join with Scotland under James I. Then, 300 years ago the Act of Union made it formal.

WRT you really should realise how ignorant you are - so no wonder you get on well with the gang of retards here. I am like a god looking down at worms at play here.

YOU WRT ARE WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG - ON ALL COUNTS.

A little learning is indeed a dangerous thing.

SHUT THE F UP YOU RETARD UNTILL YOU LEARN HOW TO READ EH?

IGNORANT PIG!

Lol, you are not like that in real life, are you, google fan?

Alex20 the moron slave boy.

I do not need to use Google. You see, loser, I have a first class education - so sort of KNOW THINGS - and as I am British, I know our great history very well indeed.

You of course refuse to learn from your betters so you will remain an ignorant retard forever Alex little ***** boy.

Still, you can still eat soup which you can get free if you suck off grownups as you are doing here...

Sad little boy. Pathetic fool. I pity you.

Wow!!! Aren't you the ignorant one? First of all, I did not say Scotland was an independant country. Secondly, the decision was a Scottish one. How about your watching a bit of PM Question Time? You may pick up a thing or two about British politics. It will serve you well in your `pretending to be British' act :)


As we all pity you :)

Melissa - the moderators are not going to remove or delete your posts. None here have even objected to your vulgar insults because it serves our interests to have them up here.

Now, please continue your hysterics.

Oh Dear WRT - MORE IGNORANCE FOR ONE ALREADY SO RETARDED.

Listen:

1) independent is actually spelt INDEPENDENT. Children often make that mistake - but those who are highly educated as I am do not. Natch.

2) The decisions was NOT a Scottish one; THAT was the spin that was put out to the media. If Brown had not wanted that to happen then the man would still be in prison. Scotland has VERY few independent powers, is massively subsidized by England, and thus will not and cannot really act alone. Idiot like you of course are too simple-minded to realise how things work.

I am British and proud of it. I should Know You RETARD!

Where do you come from? WANKERLAND? DUMBOSTAN? RETARDVILLE?

Or another planet called PLANET MENTAL CASE?

But wallow in your like fantasy if you want little retard boy - I just find it sad to watch you make SUCH a fool of yourself. I do not believe your 'pretending to be educated' act. YOu are not intelligent or educated. OK? You'll be mush happier if you accept it.

BE YOURSELF WRT - BE A RETARD!

And Melissa - GOOD FOR YOU! If so many utter retards and vile hate you so much, then you must be OK.

Have you bust a vein yet, Melissa? Looks as though you have.

WRT - if you asked Melissa the perhaps she would tell you. WHAT A RETARDED TOSSER!

I was asking Melissa. Why did you respond?

Melissa, you do know that you violated the copyrights of several companies and that it was previously brought to your attention but, you chose to ignore it. You only reacted when WB posted the proof. What you fail to realise is that the caches live on, as does the proof of your repeated and prolonged violation of the law and of the rights of several companies. To spread the word around and to ensure that none are taken in by you, what do you say to our tweeting the link to the EssayScamAlert thread to thousands of people? A brilliant idea!

WHAT A RETARDED TOSSER

So you think - in your tiniest if tiny little minds - that my responding to your gormless post about Melissa somehow 'proves' I am Melissa. By the same token then, your responding to my post about Scotland proves' you are Scottish!!!! DERRRRRR!!! DOHHHHH!!! DUMBO IN THE HOUSE!!!!!!

MORON ALERT! MORON ALERT! RETARDED TOSSER IS IN THE HOUSE!!!!!

SOOOOOOOO STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a prat you are.

As I said before your retard tosser - ask Melissa and she may respond. But she is not posting on this site and I do not blame here - what with vile like you slimy creeping around like snakes.

Tell you what, brain - why don;t you call her up? Ask a grownup how to use a phone if you find it too challenging retard boy.

I told you never to call me that name! You test my patience, WRT! You should be receiving that rabid koala any day now.

I am sorry! Will never ever call you a Melissa again :(

Signs? I thought this was about essays and papers. Signs are a different thing altogether. They are only composed of a single phrase or statement, like, "no pets allowed", and therefore, do not need a punctuation. However, if the sign had two sentences or statements in them, punctuations are necessary. Yes, even in a British supermarket.

I have worked in both London and Edinburgh for 2 years. I have seen the supermarket signs. I have also witnessed how my British and Scott officemates write or message each other... and they do use a lot of punctuations. You seem to be the only one I know who doesn't use them "properly". It's either every Brit I know is wrong or you are. I'm more inclined to believe the latter.

Lol, good point. It looks from her posts that nowadays amount of punctuation used in writing is reversely proportionate to one's level of education. Stream of consciousness rules!


Yes, I am EFL English speaker. English is my third foreign language. And?

And at the same time you are contradicting your own words:


As you have rightfully pointed out, 'and' or 'so' could be used. Actually, 'but' was implied there. I won't take it just because you say so, Melissa.


At first I was going to say that it was like Serbia was a part of Yugoslavia, a better example would be to say that Slovakia is a part of Czech Republic. But what difference does it make if you are still confusing Russian with Ukraine?

It's notable how good you are at cussing left and right in return for comments you get. You are a clown and a troll, nothing more. Too bad Anna and Jan Bobak don't pay enough of their attention to moderating the forum. I opt to ingore every post you make until you get banned. RIP.

Anyway, what do you folks think of getting back to the topic?

AsianWriter - for your information I am an English lecturer, an author and a member of the Royal Society. So don't believe me then. Your loss matey. Stay ignorant if you want.

By the way there is NO SUCH WORD AS 'punctations' - it is a mass noun so cannot be plural with an S.

Also you said:

"Signs? I thought this was about essays and papers."

No this is about the USAGE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. You are mistaken. I made good points. Learn if you want or stay ignorant. YOUR CHOICE. I care not either way. I TEACH THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE YOU MORON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have WRITTEN BOOKS AND PAPERS ON IT. I AM RIGHT. END OF.

And by the way, there is not such thing as 'Scotts'; you mean 'Scottish' or - old-fashioned, this - 'Scots'.

Learn or Ignore my little foreign friend. Your call.

Arrogant Alex20 - SHUT UP YOU MORON! You are an EFL speaker! I am not. I am a highluy educated professor of English - and YES that may mean MOST OF YOUR FRIENDS ARE WRONG, MELISSA. Because I am way more literate than most - and most people cannot use English properly.

Listen twerp - I do not teach you how to speak Russian, even though I know some, so please just shut you ignorant little mouth before you make an even bigger fool of yourself than you have already.

I have never confused Russia with Ukraine. Both countries are shiholes. And this site is run by scammers from there too. I'll get banned. I care not. Do you think I care about this forum? And I have already posted with many names already and been banned - ooooo I am so scared. GROW UP ALEXEI LITTLE BOY!

AS I SAID: Punctuation is ALL about context and style; there are NO hard and fixed rules. In a context such as a message board populated by retards, one does not need to write formal English with lots of punctuation.

And anyway the first rule of punctuation is: WHEN IN DOUBT LEAVE IT OUT. EFL students ALWAYS use way too much to TRY AND SOUND CLEVER WHEN THEY ARE NOT. Remind you of anyone? Americans. Yes that's right.

Punctuation and vocabulary and style should change according to context. ALWAYS.

Accent is NOT the same thing as dialect.

One does NOT spell INDEPENANT with an A.

'Many fewer people' is correct English usage.

I am NOT Melissa or Australian.

Your choice is you want to learn or stay ignorant. Probably you'll stay ignorant. Thus, you will never be truly educated. Losers. Believe ignorant office drones or morons like WRT etc if you want. STAY STUPID. Your choice.