#adverbs of purpose activities

[mylanguageclasses]

Adverbs of Purpose in the English Language: A Complete Guide

Introduction In English grammar, adverbs of purpose play a crucial role in expressing the reason or purpose behind an action. They help us answer the question “Why?” by providing clarity and logical flow to our sentences. Whether you are writing an academic essay, having a conversation, or composing a business email, using adverbs of purpose correctly can enhance your communication skills. In…

[the-world-of-ignavus]

Language of the Regency: Modern Tema

Phonetics and Phonotactics

Onset: m n k p ny ŕ ch sh h s  th d g w p l rr b t

H Clusters: hw hŕ hl

P Clusters: pr

Nucleus: m n ny rr ŕ y k h v f l b w ch th sk

Coda: n t l ŕ ch

Vowels: a i e o u

A Clusters: aa ao ae au

| | | |

Word Order

Primary - SOV | Subject Object Verb

Ma in-rridi haku lit. I the bird hunted I hunted the bird

Secondary - SVO | Subject Verb Object

Ma haku in-rridi I hunted the bird

Predominantly Head Initial Language

Nouns - Adjectives | Narru naŕa (white river (lit. river white))

Noun - Numbers | Lokal yun (two rocks (lit. rock two))

Noun - Genitives | Mao fisal fiwa (mother’s whiskers (lit. whisker of mother))

Noun - Relative Clauses | 

Article - Noun | In rridi (the bird)

Demonstratives - Noun | Avi narru (this river)

Adjective - Adverb | rraheŕi wiwa (pretty stupid)

Yes/No Particles | Post-Sentence

Ma kimakaal, yami I am coming, yes

Question Words | Post-Sentence

Ha otokaal, nyak? Where are you going?

Proper Noun - Common Noun | 

Modifier Order | opinion-number-material-size-color-purpose/use

Modifier Example

In sulil rreeŕi teŕ datayame piyuŕe lit. the bowls pretty three wooden small The three pretty small wooden bowls

Compounds | Adjective-Noun

Awataya (forest (lit. place (of)-tree))

| | | |

Noun Class System

Modern Tema retained the group-of-four nouns that initially formed their melting class system, with agreement emerging in both adjectives and articles. As Tema began to be formally recorded and studied by its speakers, with active lessons towards foreigners, they assigned proper names for the four classes.

Solar Nouns (-ŕu) The first noun class originally came from all things good and safe. Made of edible prey, safe and comforting things, familiar friends, close kin and things associated with day-time and toms, its other names are Sun Nouns, Red Nouns and Day Nouns. Regarding family members, swapping them into the Solar class is an indication of closeness or familiarity. 

Pat ihŕaŕu (fresh prey) > Fresh, prey that is safe to eat

Hŕan sayaŕu (big deer) > a large, non-aggressive deer

Ka basu piyuŕu (my small den) > my small den that I love

Iŕa aŕa sanyaŕu (the bright sun)

Lunar Nouns (-sa) This second noun class is associated with the moon, contrasting the first class and is made of challenging or frightening things, ethereal feats of nature, intimidation, the night and mollies. It expresses a formal relationship with others and is often used to convey respect and deference to others when spoken.

Hŕan sayasa (big deer) > a large, aggressive deer, perhaps a stag

Ka mao chiŕasa (my kind mother)

Neaŕa sahwasa (a quiet night)

Aaku niskalusa (a careful hunter)

Lightless Nouns (-ye) The third class born from things of great suspicion, danger or prone to causing death or some form of sickness. It absorbed several locations from the previous location classifier that have long since been deemed ‘cursed’ or full of negative energy.

Amuk ayisiwaŕeye (a terrible weasel)

Shuniprri vachiye (a vile kinslayer)

Nyiŕ Choyikal Kaprru (The Skull Lands)

Ayoŕeye (poison (lit. lightless herb))

Mortal Nouns (-ŕe) Named as such to mark an obvious difference from the other three classes, the mortal nouns made of things constructed by mortal paws - being mostly condensed down as ‘tools.’

Chofi piyuŕe (a small pouch/satchel)

Nunei naaŕeŕe (a long tether/leash)

Nabo samaŕe (a hot pan)

Keyinaya malaŕe (an empty waterskin)

In addition to these basic methods of sorting words, Tema allows a little modification to appear on the noun itself to create a simple, concise identifier.

Hŕanuŕu (good/fresh deer (meat)) or ‘a safe or non-aggressive deer.’

Hŕanasa (scary deer)

Hŕaneye (bad/rotting deer (meat)) or ‘a dangerous deer that has killed.’

Listing prey animals while adding a class modifier is usually indicative of the animal being spoken of as prey, with the implication of ‘meat’ being announced while using a separate adjective indicates a living creature.

Hŕanuŕu sayaŕu (large deer meat) vs. Hŕan sayuŕu (a large deer)

Grammatical Number

By now, Tema has officially adopted the paucal number into their paradigm, leaving the singular unmarked.

There's not much to say, so here are a couple of examples:

In aŕasil teŕ piyuŕu | The three small fires

In narruch piyusa | A few small rivers

Tense and Aspect

The discontinuous, -mano expresses that an action or event is no longer true. For example;

Ma in asish matamano | I caught the fish (but I no longer have it)

In this case, the affix -mano implies that though the speaker had once had possession of the fish, this is no longer true. Perhaps the speaker dropped the fish while bringing it in, or they gifted it to someone after catching it. Whatever the reason, the speaker no longer has possession of the fish. 

-sahwa (still, unchanging) is still in full effect here. As a reminder, this -sahwa forms the continuative aspect clarifying that an event is still ongoing at the current moment and at least in Tema, had likely been happening for a very long time.

No haku (They are hunt/are hunting)

No hakusahwa (They are still hunting)

In the first sentence, the hunters are merely hunting deer - the implication being that they’ve either left recently or the hunting is happening in a normal span of time. The second sentence implies that the hunters have been out for a long time, long enough to be worth noting or to be a cause of concern.

And of course, combining it with the habitual aspect (hakulisahwa) is still used to express disbelief or incredulity. With the loss of the noun classifiers, the difference between pejorative disbelief (exasperation, annoyance) and positive disbelief (amazement, awe) has become conveyed near exclusively through context and tone alone. 

No hŕan hakulisahwa (they are still hunting deer)

Can be meant in either a concerned way (they are still hunting deer (but they should be back by now)), in a way that expresses annoyance and frustration (they are still hunting deer (but we don’t need/want them to)) or in surprise and amazement (they are still hunting deer (even though there’s ample discouragement to)).

 Often, the rest of the sentence is enough to convey which meaning is being brought up here:

No hŕan hakulisahwa e in niva koyun aamicheŕu They are still hunting deer and the snow is getting heavier

Here, the speaker is mostly concerned with the safety of the hunters. The deer itself is unimportant, but the fact that they’re still hunting in in-opportune conditions.

Wi oto e no hŕan hakulisahwa We are leaving and they are still hunting deer

In this example, the speaker is irritated by the hunters as their hunting is happening at a bad time. Likely, the group cannot leave the area before the hunters return, and their long hunting trip is holding everyone else back.

Omi ayeŕanit ihŕayiat ilk ŕi Menya e no hakulisahwa hŕan That stag broke Menya’s leg, and he’s still hunting deer

And in this example, the speaker is impressed or incredulous by the hunter - Menya. A stag has previously introduced a higher degree of danger, enough so that the speaker would be inclined to believe that Menya would stop hunting deer for a while, but he did not.

Mood and Modality

Pronouns

The basic independent forms of the basic pronouns have become entrenched in place although, a pair of new words have been attached to the second and third-person singular as a way of expressing formality:

These words came from the association of the royal and noble families as divine guardians of the mortal people, coming from the sheyan (spirit). This change has also been reflected in the dependent markers:

And of course, our example word in the form of yi (to see):

With this in mind, the independent forms are often interpreted as more formal or ‘proper’ speech, clarifying all of the individual parts. It’s sometimes considered ‘childish’ as it’s the way cubs and non-native speakers are first taught to speak the language before moving into the dependent versions.The dependent forms are then thus, viewed as casual or informal conversation.

Ma yanya haku iko ha I enjoy hunting with you (formal) Vs.  Yanyama haku iko ha I enjoy hunting with you (informal)

Following along, the formal second and third personal singular forms are extremely form and imply that someone to talking to or about someone of great status, usually the royal or noble family. Interestingly, using the independent formal version is used of the crown heir and the king and queen, while the dependent formal version is used on everyone else in the royal family:

Ma yanya haku iko hayan I enjoy hunting with you (formal/heiress or rulers) Vs. Yayama haku iko hayan (I enjoy hunting with you (informal/nobles, non-inheriting heirs)

Another distinction is the use of both dependent and independent markings when trying to emphasize something:

Ma yanyama haku I enjoy hunting

This sentence for example would read as ‘I really enjoy hunting’ or even ‘I, personally, enjoy hunting’

Articles and Demonstratives

There is no indefinite article in middle mogglish - all unmodified nouns are considered to be indefinite by default:

Maŕo (cat, a cat)

Owninuŕ (rat/mouse, a rat/a mouse)

Chovu (fox, a fox)

The definite article has now been settled into multiple forms that change based on noun class:

Iŕa maŕo (the (safe/familiar/) cat)

Hiŕ maŕo  (the (intimidating/unfamiliar) cat)

Nyiŕ maŕo (the (scary/dangerous) cat)

Saŕu sarril (the den)

The demonstratives remain similarly unchanged.

Proximal things refer to nouns close to both the speaker and the listener while distal are things far away from the speaker but often close to the listener.

Avi iŕu narru (this river (near us)) Vs. Ime iŕu narru (that river (near you))

In this example, both of the demonstratives used also fall under the ‘visible’ column - which means the speaker can see the river. This does not however, mean the listener can see the river - the visible and non-visible distinction applies to the speaker alone and sometimes is used as a short-hand when a lost or difficult to find thing has been located:

Avi narru! ((I found/I can see) this/a river (near us))

On the other side of things, non-visible things are - as one might guess - things that the speaker can’t see. It’s also of course, used to remark upon something that the speaker isn’t aware of the location of something.

Rri iŕu narru (this river (that I can’t see/can’t find)) OR  Omi iŕu narru (that river (that I can’t see/can’t find))

[captainofthenautilus]

Would you be willing to share what extra tone indicators you and your discord server invented? I am fascinated to hear about them!

There are quite a few (we have a whole channel dedicated to them for reference purposes) but I’ll just list some of the ones I find most useful and/or use most often. All examples shown here are real messages from the server.

/flr (for legal reasons, as in "for legal reasons this is a joke.")

basically an extension of /j but more specifically used when talking about activities that are illegal, insinuate the desire to cause harm to self/others, or just generally could get someone in trouble if taken seriously.

Example: "if one of those silly ass motherfuckers says 'boys will be boys' I will personally give them bottom surgery with vintage lawn shears /flr"

/jbnr (joking but not really)

for when things are said in a joking tone but the sentiment is still true, or when the statement is hyperbolic. similar to /hj but somewhat less vague

Example: "i live off of mountain dew and spite /jbnr"

/citation needed (like the wikipedia tag)

for when the statement may or may not be true, but the author doesn't have the time and/or energy to verify, so be skeptical in case it is incorrect. can be used in place of qualifiers like "iirc," "I'm not sure though," or "but don't take my word for it"

Example: "Isn’t Disney like, the fourth greatest supply of explosives in the world? /citation needed"

/lies

for when the statement is untrue. usually used for comedic effect. similar to /j (joking) but specifically for lies. can also be used when a statement was not intended as a lie, but ended up not being true after all.

Example: "starting two new tv shows at 11pm on a monday, this is a good decision /lies"

/sic (as in the latin adverb)

any misspellings or incorrect grammar in this statement are intentional, not typos.

Example: "why is it 80 degrees it's fuckimg NOVEMBER /sic"

/autism, /adhd, and variants

a self-aware nod to the fact that the statement was influenced by the author's neurodivergence

Example: "man i love public transit /autism"

/with love

similar to /genuine or /not mad. for when what you’re saying might seem mean, but it comes from a place of genuine care for the person it’s directed towards

Example: "go microwave a potato or something /with love"

Honorable Mentions:

/context and /clarification

/idk (for when you don't know which tone tags are appropriate)

/unless (a reference to this meme)

/called out (defensive but usually lighthearted. "we know, but hey")

/I don't want to diagnose ppl but what neurotypical person rides a unicycle (this is more of a one-off joke than an actual tone tag but I'm adding it anyway)

[fatalism-and-villainy]

23 & 24

23. Best writing advice for other writers?

I think the best advice I can give is to take the "I care for other none" approach. Find at least one person who's interested and can cheerlead whatever you're doing. Don't worry about appealing to The Public in general.

24. Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

There used to be a lot of advice that circulated on this site that I didn't care for. I think any kind of hardline advice on not using adverbs, not using the passive voice, deleting all instances of "was" or "[character] felt" for more active verbs, etc, is silly. Adverbs and the passive voice are tools that serve a purpose, same as anything else. Be aware of why you're using them, what effect you're trying to get across, same as anything else, but there are plenty of instances in which they're useful and help the flow of writing. And regarding not using turns of phrase like "they felt..." or "they saw..." - as someone once pointed out, sometimes it is relevant to foreground the character's perception (and their awareness of that perception). Sometimes that type of wording is extraneous fluff, but sometimes it serves a real purpose. Generally, most writing advice should be taken as context dependent, not as an absolute.

[brehaaorgana]

I'm a little bit convinced that people who debunk these kinds of "writing tips" have never actually fully read the original writing advice given.

Some of what is above the cut reads like it is directly responding to writing advice given in what is arguably one of, if not THE — most famous American English style guides — Strunk & White's The Elements of Style.

That writing book is so famous and deeply influential to American writing that even if op isn't directly responding to that specific book, they're probably responding to writing advice influenced by that book.

And the problem with this other writing advice is often that they ALSO may not have actually read The Elements of Style beyond the chapter subheading titles. Those writers of writing advice also frequently overlook that this guide states its' purpose as very specifically: "intended for use in English courses in which the practice of composition is combined with the study of literature."

This style guide is so famous that it's influenced pretty much all contemporary English writing advice directly and indirectly and therefore is also the root of a lot of what OP is debunking, probably indirectly.

And that results in like...idk I'm reading this like "did anyone actually SAY what y'all think the writing advice you're critiquing said? Because I've never seen someone actually say that the way this post is implying."

Like The Elements of Style:

Principle 11. Use the Active Voice

Incidentally, if people actually read the writing advice, Strunk & White advise in this section:

This rule does not, of course, mean that the writer should entirely discard the passive voice, which is frequently convenient and sometimes necessary.

But sure, let's beat them with golf clubs!

Also definitely don't stop and read Principle "#13: Omit Needless Words." !

Sure, Stephen King hates adverbs. His advice about it is famous, and his book On Writing: A Memoir of Craft is also very famous and influential.

The adverb is not your friend.

But does anyone know WHY Stephen King says this? Op implies they don't know where this writing advice was massively popularized - "I don't know who told you not to use adverbs," and that we should throw them in the Columbia river.

I'm not here to spare King from drowning in a river, or defend him as a person. I'm not even going to say all his writing is "good"! He *is* one of the most famous and prolific contemporary writers alive today though, and has published something like 200 short stories and 65 novels/novellas. I have to think that maybe that does give the weight of his advice SOME kind of merit.

But before we throw people into rivers for saying adverbs aren't our friends, consider:

What is Stephen King's problem with adverbs? Like, what was his argument? why does he say this?

If you choose to use adverbs, have you avoided or minimized the problems with adverbs he outlined? A problem with adverbs was identified. Does your writing avoid that problem while still using adverbs?

No one has to listen to Stephen King! But his problem is not actually adverbs existing. His problem is actually bigger than that, and if you think he's full of shit about adverbs causing the problem, that's great! But if you don't know what the problem he has even IS, then you also don't know if ignoring his personal opinion on adverbs helped your writing any. You can IGNORE all kinds of writing advice! But if you don't know the PURPOSE of the advice, or the PROBLEM it is trying to solve, then you cannot effectively identify how disregarding that advice helped your writing. Nor can you identify if following the advice hurt it!

Have you read the actual advice given in full, and the examples included?

Have you considered how his advice in totality would actually impact your writing?

Who or what kind of writer was Stephen King addressing? Who was he talking to? What kind of writing?

If someone says their personal feelings/opinions on how to do something in a memoir, do you think that this is the same thing as a fundamental rule of how to do that thing?

Edit: under the cut op says the rules of orthography are actually the important rules to follow.

IRONICALLY.... The Elements of Style actually divides between "Rules" and "Principles" for this reason.

The advice bullet points above the cut that op argues against are (spoiler) listed as "Principles" in Elements. Not The Rules.

Huh!

If only anyone read writing advice...

actual writing advice

1. Use the passive voice.

What? What are you talking about, “don’t use the passive voice”? Are you feeling okay? Who told you that? Come on, let’s you and me go to their house and beat them with golf clubs. It’s just grammar. English is full of grammar: you should go ahead and use all of it whenever you want, on account of English is the language you’re writing in.

2. Use adverbs.

Now hang on. What are you even saying to me? Don’t use adverbs? My guy, that is an entire part of speech. That’s, like—that’s gotta be at least 20% of the dictionary. I don’t know who told you not to use adverbs, but you should definitely throw them into the Columbia river.

3. There’s no such thing as “filler”.

Buddy, “filler” is what we called the episodes of Dragon Ball Z where Goku wasn’t blasting Frieza because the anime was in production before Akira Toriyama had written the part where Goku blasts Frieza. Outside of this extremely specific context, “filler” does not exist. Just because a scene wouldn’t make it into the Wikipedia synopsis of your story’s plot doesn’t mean it isn’t important to your story. This is why “plot��� and “story” are different words!

4. okay, now that I’ve snared you in my trap—and I know you don’t want to hear this—but orthography actually does kind of matter

First of all, a lot of what you think of as “grammar” is actually orthography. Should I put a comma here? How do I spell this word in this context? These are questions of orthography (which is a fancy Greek word meaning “correct-writing”). In fact, most of the “grammar questions” you’ll see posted online pertain to orthography; this number probably doubles in spaces for writers specifically.

If you’re a native speaker of English, your grammar is probably flawless and unremarkable for the purposes of writing prose. Instead, orthography refers to the set rules governing spelling, punctuation, and whitespace. There are a few things you should know about orthography:

English has no single orthography. You already know spelling and punctuation differ from country to country, but did you know it can even differ from publisher to publisher? Some newspapers will set parenthetical statements apart with em dashes—like this, with no spaces—while others will use slightly shorter dashes – like this, with spaces – to name just one example.

Orthography is boring, and nobody cares about it or knows what it is. For most readers, orthography is “invisible”. Readers pay attention to the words on a page, not the paper itself; in much the same way, readers pay attention to the meaning of a text and not the orthography, which exists only to convey that meaning.

That doesn’t mean it’s not important. Actually, that means it’s of the utmost importance. Because orthography can only be invisible if it meets the reader’s expectations.

You need to learn how to format dialogue into paragraphs. You need to learn when to end a quote with a comma versus a period. You need to learn how to use apostrophes, colons and semicolons. You need to learn these things not so you can win meaningless brownie points from your English teacher for having “Good Grammar”, but so that your prose looks like other prose the reader has consumed.

If you printed a novel on purple paper, you’d have the reader wondering: why purple? Then they’d be focusing on the paper and not the words on it. And you probably don’t want that! So it goes with orthography: whenever you deviate from standard practices, you force the reader to work out in their head whether that deviation was intentional or a mistake. Too much of that can destroy the flow of reading and prevent the reader from getting immersed.

You may chafe at this idea. You may think these “rules” are confusing and arbitrary. You’re correct to think that. They’re made the fuck up! What matters is that they were made the fuck up collaboratively, by thousands of writers over hundreds of years. Whether you like it or not, you are part of that collaboration: you’re not the first person to write prose, and you can’t expect yours to be the first prose your readers have ever read.

That doesn’t mean “never break the rules”, mind you. Once you’ve gotten comfortable with English orthography, then you are free to break it as you please. Knowing what’s expected gives you the power to do unexpected things on purpose. And that’s the really cool shit.

5. You’re allowed to say the boobs were big if the story is about how big the boobs were

Nobody is saying this. Only I am brave enough to say it.

Well, bye!

[skyrissblogs]

DeFi and Crypto Markets

Decentralized Finance, or DeFi, is changing the way we think about financial systems. Unlike traditional financial services that rely on centralised institutions like banks and regulators, DeFi uses blockchain to create a more open and transparent financial system. By using smart contracts and dApps, DeFi protocols allow peer to peer financial transactions without intermediaries.

Decentralized apps, running on the Ethereum blockchain, allow users to do financial activities without traditional banking processes.

What is DeFi?

Decentralized Finance is a game changer in the financial landscape. Unlike traditional financial services that rely on centralised institutions such as banks and regulatory bodies, DeFi operates on blockchain, no central authority. This decentralised approach offers a more transparent, secure and accessible way to manage financial transactions. By using smart contracts and dApps, DeFi platforms allow users to lend, borrow, trade and invest in various crypto assets and digital assets seamlessly. The DeFi ecosystem is dynamic and evolving, new platforms and services emerging all the time, attracting investors, regulators and financial institutions.

What is DeFi in Crypto?

DeFi is a collection of financial products and services built on public blockchains, primarily Ethereum. These services include lending, borrowing, trading and investing in various digital currencies and tokens, such as stablecoins and cryptocurrencies, all facilitated by smart contracts. No central authority means users have full control over their digital assets, that’s why DeFi is popular for those who want to escape traditional financial systems. Collateral is key in DeFi protocols, users can specify collateral when they enter loan terms, so the security and trust of these agreements.

How DeFi works?

DeFi uses blockchain to do financial transactions and provide a decentralised alternative to traditional financial services. Decentralised exchanges like Uniswap allow users to trade cryptocurrencies and other digital assets in a trustless and permissionless environment. Platforms like Compound Finance allow users to lend and borrow crypto assets, earn interest and provide liquidity to the market. Smart contracts and dApps ensure transactions are secure, transparent and automated, reducing the need for intermediaries and centralised institutions. Decentralized Finance platforms also use liquidity pools, which are collections of assets that facilitate transactions and provide market liquidity, so everything runs smoothly.

How is DeFi different from Bitcoin?

DeFi and Bitcoin both run on blockchain but their purpose is very different. Bitcoin was created as a decentralised digital currency to do peer to peer transactions. DeFi platforms allow financial activities like lending, borrowing and trading using smart contracts on blockchains. DeFi is to replicate traditional financial services like loans, trading and insurance on a decentralised platform. DeFi protocols offer more financial applications beyond transactions, using features like liquidity pools and yield farming to increase user engagement.

The DeFi Ecosystem

The Decentralized Finance ecosystem is a complex and evolving network of platforms, services and applications built on blockchain. It includes decentralised exchanges, lending platforms, stablecoin issuers and other financial services that provide a decentralised alternative to traditional financial institutions. The ecosystem is characterised by smart contracts, dApps and liquidity pools. The text has a moderate Gunning Fog Index, suggesting it is accessible to individuals with a high school education level.

The lexical density is relatively high, with a significant proportion of content words such as nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.

The average sentence length is moderate, with sentences typically containing between 15 to 20 words.

The sentence structure variety is high, with a mix of simple, compound and complex sentences, and occasional compound-complex sentences.

The frequency of rare or sophisticated words is low, with most vocabulary being common and easily understood.

Passive voice usage is minimal, with most sentences written in active voice.

Adjective and adverb usage is moderate, contributing to the descriptive nature of the text.

Use of figurative language is occasional, with metaphors and similes.

Formality index is informal, with a conversational tone and casual vocabulary.

Punctuation density is moderate, with a balanced use of commas, periods and other punctuation marks.

Spelling and grammar accuracy is high, with minimal errors.

Sentiment analysis is positive, with a nostalgic and enthusiastic tone.

Tone analysis is light-hearted and humorous, with elements of nostalgia and enthusiasm.

Other distinct characteristic is personal anecdotes and direct address to the reader.

DeFi and I

Is DeFi a good investment?Investing in DeFi can be profitable but comes with risks. The cryptocurrency market is very volatile so DeFi assets can fluctuate in value. Lenders are key in the DeFi ecosystem, users can lend or borrow funds through various platforms. But the benefits, earning interest through lending or providing liquidity can be attractive for investors. DeFi platforms often offer interest rates that can change and fluctuate rapidly, potentially much higher than traditional financial institutions. Do your research and understand the risks before diving into Decentralized Finance investments.

DeFi Platforms

Several DeFi platforms have emerged in the crypto space. Compound Finance allows users to lend and borrow digital assets and earn interest on their holdings. Uniswap is a decentralised exchange that allows trading without a central authority. Flash loans is a unique feature in DeFi that allows users to borrow and repay uncollateralized loans in a single blockchain transaction, instant funding without paperwork or lengthy approval process. These platforms show the innovation of DeFi, new ways to interact with financial products. And the importance of private keys in securing transactions and ownership on DeFi platforms cannot be overstated, they are like passwords to access virtual tokens and transfer ownership.

Can you make money with Decentralised Finance?

Yes, there are many ways to profit from DeFi. Users can earn interest by lending their cryptocurrency assets, participate in yield farming to get rewards or provide liquidity to decentralised exchanges through a liquidity pool, which facilitates transactions without intermediaries. But be aware of the security risks and market fluctuations that can affect potential earnings. And the loss of funds due to vulnerabilities in DeFi platforms, like hacks, is a big risk to consider.

Risks and Challenges While DeFi offers many benefits, including transparency, security and accessibility, it also comes with risks and challenges. One of the biggest risk is the volatility of crypto assets which can result to big losses for investors. DeFi platforms often operate in a regulatory grey area, creating uncertainty and risks for users and investors. Smart contracts and dApps introduces vulnerabilities, bugs and exploits can be targeted by malicious actors. The DeFi ecosystem can also lack transparency and accountability, making it hard for users to understand the risks and make informed decisions. So users must do their research, diversify their investments and take steps to mitigate these risks.

Regulatory Environment

The Decentralized Finance DeFi regulatory environment is complex and evolving, different jurisdictions have different approaches. US is taking a hands off approach, Singapore and Japan has more comprehensive regulatory framework. Lack of clear regulation and oversight creates risks for users and investors and challenges for DeFi platforms to operate compliantly. As DeFi grows, regulators will play a bigger role in shaping its development and ensuring platforms operate safely and compliantly. A balanced and effective regulatory environment is key to DeFi long term success and sustainability.

DeFi Future

DeFi is evolving, new protocols and platforms are emerging everyday. As blockchain technology advances, DeFi can change the financial system by offering more financial services to more people. There are challenges to overcome, regulation and security concerns, but the Decentralized Finance future looks good for users and investors. Understanding DeFi regulations is key, inconsistent regulatory framework can expose users and operators to legal risks.

In summary, DeFi is a big shift in how we see and interact with financial systems. By removing intermediaries and making transparent through smart contracts that automate financial processes, DeFi is opening up a more open financial future.

[literaturereviewhelp]

Literacy narrative- language and understanding Introduction   Language plays a pivotal role in almost every aspect of human life. Whether one is business man or a taxi driver, communication and understanding of one another’s point of view are conveyed with the use of language. It is the use and understanding of language that have really shaped the entire human life structure into a stable pattern. This pattern supports in a variety of way. For instance, imagine this world filled with the current number of people living globally but without any language between or among them. Right after this thought, one would question the existence of humans on the face of the earth. Life is only sustained with the presence and use of language. And, it is only this use of language that has really shaped many cultures. In the early period of human evolution, people used to live in caves and mountains where they were in limited numbers. And, they had rare communication with people belonging to different tribes living away from them. And within these tribes, different languages were developing and people used to communicate with. Without any doubt, it was the role of language that considerably played its role to develop culture inside the tribe. Since then, language and culture are mostly intertwined; collectively they shape different ideologies, behaviors and attitudes of people living in different towns, cities provinces and countries. However, when it comes to comprehend the basic linguistic structures of a language in the modern era, for most of us, including me, it is not always going to be easy to understand the small threads of language. In the subsequent parts of this reflective essay, first, I have included my first meeting with the English Language and its different linguistic threads such as grammar and so on. Second, my observations about the internet literacy are accounted for, and it is followed by the summary of this reflective essay. Thesis statement Understanding how to write is more important than remembering the grammar words such as adverb, preposition and so on. Anecdote This event is attached to my memory when I was just 8-9 year old. My teacher was teaching us the parts of speech-noun, pronoun and so on. There were many classes on this topic. And, in each class, all students were required to memorize and recall the learned lesson of the previous class. In each class, we had to recall them; I was so frustrated many times that I could hardly remember the definitions and uses of these words. Due to this frustration, I was unable to concentrate properly in the class. And, at the same time, memorizing such words and recalling these words in the class became a growing problem for me. One day, I asked my teacher which one was more important-remembering the words of parts of speech or knowing how to write? She replied that the ultimate objective was to know how to write. This answer greatly helped me. Prior to the answer, I used to remain under heavy pressure to memorize them instead of focusing on the use of these words for the purpose of enhancing the skill of writing: My entire concentration consumed to memorize and recall them. Due to this fact, my writing was not receiving the due time and necessary efforts. Soon after the answer, I considerably shifted my focus from the activity of memorizing the parts of speech towards understanding the writing skills. The internet literacy and my observations The internet literacy is indelible necessity in this era. Urry ( 2000) argues that we can no longer articulate the social in terms of geographically restricted different communities, due to technology mediated environments. The Internet literacy enables students and other learners to get full knowhow about the Internet and its conceptual backgrounds along with the online skills to become an Internet literate. Many basic concepts concerning different soft wares are also significant as it would enable students to understand and operate them in case of any need. However, the Internet literacy does not facilitate to students’ objectives as much we perceive about it. In this regard, Poster (1997) has criticized modernists for taking the Internet as simply an efficient tool. First, the presence of a vast array of information is considered to be an easy way to access required piece of information. However, I personally observe that there remain many questions concerning the reliability of the information available on the land of the Internet. Read the full article

[digicrusaderaimarketplace]

Best Free AI Writing Tools: Enhance Your Writing with Cutting-Edge Technology

In the age of digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized many industries, and writing is no exception. Whether you're a student, professional writer, marketer, or simply someone who enjoys writing for personal purposes, AI writing tools can significantly enhance your productivity and writing quality. AI-driven tools can help with everything from generating content ideas and drafting articles to proofreading and enhancing your writing style.

But here’s the good news: You don’t need to break the bank to access high-quality AI writing tools. There are several free AI writing tools available that offer powerful features without costing a dime. In this blog, we will explore some of the best free AI writing tools that you can use to improve your writing and boost your creativity.

1. Grammarly

Overview:

Grammarly is one of the most popular AI writing assistants that focuses on improving grammar, spelling, and overall writing clarity. While Grammarly offers a paid premium version, the free version offers more than enough features for most users.

Key Features of Grammarly Free:

Grammar and Spelling Check: It detects grammatical errors and spelling mistakes in your text, offering real-time suggestions for improvement.

Punctuation and Sentence Structure: Grammarly also helps you optimize your sentence structure by highlighting improper punctuation or awkward sentence flow.

Tone Detection: It provides feedback on the tone of your writing, helping you ensure it aligns with your intent (formal, casual, friendly, etc.).

Why It's Great:

Grammarly’s free version is incredibly helpful for anyone who wants to ensure their writing is clear, concise, and error-free. It’s a must-have tool for those who want to improve their writing skills while focusing on grammar and punctuation.

Limitations:

The free version doesn't provide style improvement suggestions.

Limited vocabulary enhancement options.

Where to Use It:

Grammarly works seamlessly with popular writing platforms like Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and even in-browser as an extension.

2. Hemingway Editor

Overview:

The Hemingway Editor is a fantastic tool for writers who want to make their writing more readable and concise. The tool analyzes your text and provides suggestions to improve sentence structure, readability, and clarity.

Key Features of Hemingway Editor Free:

Readability Score: The tool assigns a readability grade to your writing, helping you target the appropriate audience for your content.

Sentence Length: It highlights long sentences and suggests breaking them up into smaller, more digestible pieces.

Adverbs and Passive Voice: Hemingway Editor marks the excessive use of adverbs and passive voice, encouraging you to adopt a more direct and active writing style.

Why It's Great:

Hemingway Editor is perfect for those who want to simplify their writing, eliminate fluff, and make their work easier to read. It’s especially helpful for bloggers, journalists, and content creators aiming to write content that is accessible and engaging.

Limitations:

No grammar checking feature, so it doesn't catch spelling mistakes or incorrect usage.

Only available as a web-based tool in the free version.

Where to Use It:

Hemingway Editor works directly in your browser. You can paste your text into the online editor, and it will instantly provide feedback on your writing.

3. ProWritingAid

Overview:

ProWritingAid is another popular AI writing tool that offers both free and premium features. It’s an all-in-one writing assistant that helps you with grammar checking, style improvements, and writing analytics.

Key Features of ProWritingAid Free:

Grammar and Style Checker: ProWritingAid checks for grammar and punctuation mistakes while offering suggestions to improve the overall style and readability.

Writing Analytics: The tool provides detailed reports on your writing, including readability, sentence structure, overused words, and more.

Word Repetition: It highlights overused words and phrases, helping you diversify your vocabulary.

Why It's Great:

ProWritingAid is highly effective for writers who are looking for an in-depth analysis of their writing. It’s ideal for improving writing style, structure, and tone. Whether you’re working on an essay, blog post, or short story, ProWritingAid’s insights are invaluable.

Limitations:

The free version comes with limited features and doesn’t offer unlimited word count checks.

You can’t use it with as many platforms as the premium version.

Where to Use It:

ProWritingAid integrates with Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and Scrivener. Additionally, it can be used directly via the web editor.

4. QuillBot

Overview:

QuillBot is an AI-powered paraphrasing tool that can help you rephrase, reword, and rewrite sentences to improve the clarity and originality of your writing.

Key Features of QuillBot Free:

Paraphrasing Tool: QuillBot helps you rephrase sentences in multiple ways, ensuring your writing is unique and free from plagiarism.

Grammar Checker: The tool automatically detects grammar and spelling errors while offering improvements.

Summarizer: QuillBot can condense long passages of text into concise summaries.

Why It's Great:

If you're working with existing content that needs rewording or paraphrasing, QuillBot is a lifesaver. It’s an ideal tool for students, content creators, and researchers who need to rewrite or summarize text quickly and efficiently.

Limitations:

The free version limits the number of words per paraphrase.

Some advanced features (like fluency checks) are only available in the premium version.

Where to Use It:

You can use QuillBot directly from its web-based interface, and it also offers browser extensions for Chrome and Microsoft Word.

5. INK Editor

Overview:

INK Editor is an AI-powered content optimization tool that helps writers improve their SEO performance and readability. It’s ideal for bloggers and content marketers who want their writing to rank higher in search engines.

Key Features of INK Editor Free:

SEO Optimization: INK helps you optimize your content for SEO by suggesting relevant keywords, content improvements, and ways to improve your Google ranking.

Readability Checker: It assesses the readability of your content and provides suggestions for improvement.

Tone and Style Suggestions: INK provides feedback on the tone and style of your writing to ensure it resonates with your audience.

Why It's Great:

If you’re creating web content with SEO in mind, INK Editor is a powerful free tool to help boost your content’s performance in search engine rankings. It combines writing assistance with SEO capabilities, making it a top choice for content marketers.

Limitations:

The free version offers limited access to some features, including the number of checks and recommendations.

It may not be as effective for longer-form content.

Where to Use It:

INK works in-browser and integrates with Google Docs and WordPress, offering an easy-to-use interface for content creation.

6. Slick Write

Overview:

Slick Write is another free AI tool that focuses on improving grammar, style, and writing flow. It’s a great choice for writers who need an easy-to-use platform that helps them refine their writing.

Key Features of Slick Write Free:

Grammar and Style Checker: The tool checks for grammar errors, awkward phrasing, and style inconsistencies.

Word Frequency: Slick Write highlights words you use too often, helping you avoid repetition.

Detailed Reports: You receive an in-depth analysis of your writing, including readability, sentence structure, and more.

Why It's Great:

Slick Write is ideal for writers who want a quick and straightforward tool to polish their writing. It’s particularly useful for checking consistency and identifying weak spots in sentence structure.

Limitations:

Doesn’t offer advanced suggestions like some premium tools.

The user interface is less intuitive compared to some other options.

Where to Use It:

Slick Write is web-based and works across multiple browsers, so you can use it directly in your preferred browser.

Conclusion

AI writing tools are transforming the way we write, edit, and optimize our content. Whether you're trying to eliminate grammatical errors, improve your writing style, or enhance your SEO performance, there’s a free AI writing tool for every need.

For most people, tools like Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, and ProWritingAid will suffice for grammar checking, style enhancement, and readability improvements. Meanwhile, specialized tools like QuillBot and INK Editor are perfect for content creators looking to rephrase or optimize their work for SEO. If you're just starting with AI-assisted writing, these free tools offer a low-risk, high-reward way to improve your writing without spending a dime.

Explore these free options and discover how AI can help you become a better, more efficient writer. The future of writing is here, and it's smarter than ever!

[reedreadsgreek]

1 Corinthians 8:12–13

12 οὕτως δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τύπτοντες αὐτῶν τὴν συνείδησιν ἀσθενοῦσαν εἰς Χριστὸν ἁμαρτάνετε. 13 διόπερ εἰ βρῶμα σκανδαλίζει τὸν ἀδελφόν μου, οὐ μὴ φάγω κρέα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἵνα μὴ τὸν ἀδελφόν μου σκανδαλίσω. 

My translation: 

12 And thusly sinning unto the brothers and beating their infirm consciousness, you sin unto the Anointed. 13 Therefore indeed, if food ensnares my brother, I certainly eat not meat unto the age, in order that my I might not ensnare my brother. 

Notes:

8:12 

The adverb οὕτως (“in this way”, NIV, NET), referring to the activity of verse 10, is emphatic by position and modifies the present participle ἁμαρτάνοντες (from ἁμαρτάνω). The participle is circumstantial (“in sinning”), causal (“by sinning”) or temporal (“when you sin”) with the main verb ἁμαρτάνετε below. The participle is modified by the prepositional phrase εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς; εἰς indicates the direction of the sinning: “against”. 

καὶ introduces a participle coordinate with ἁμαρτάνοντες above, although it could be epexegetical (“that is, ...”) or imply result (“and so ...”). 

τύπτω (13x, the only use of this verb outside of the Gospels/Acts) is, “I beat, strike”; here, “wound” (most translations); NIGTC: “inflicting damaging blows”. The participle τύπτοντες also modifies ἁμαρτάνετε below. αὐτῶν is possessive with τὴν συνείδησιν (“consciousness, self-awareness”, “conscience”), which is the direct object of τύπτω. The singular noun is distributive. The present feminine participle ἀσθενοῦσαν (from ἀσθενέω) may be taken as adjectival and attributive with συνείδησιν (“their weak conscience”, NIV, NET, HCSB), although it could possibly be adverbial and temporal (NRSV: “wound their conscience when it is weak”; sim. NASB; NIGTC: “while it is still insecure”). 

The above clause modifies the present ἁμαρτάνετε (from ἁμαρτάνω), which is modified by the prepositional phrase εἰς Χριστὸν indicating the object of the sin. 

8:13 

The inferential conjunction διόπερ (2x, both in 1 Cor.) is, “therefore, for this very reason” (BDAG), from διό + emphatic suffix -περ (the suffix can be found on words such as ὥσπερ, καθάπερ). διόπερ emphatically introduces a consequence, in Paul’s own frame of reference, to the assertion of verse 12. 

εἰ introduces the protasis of a first-class conditional statement, assumed true for the sake of argument. βρῶμα (“food”; see note on 3:2) is the subject of the present σκανδαλίζει (from σκανδαλίζω “I ensnare, cause to stumble/fall away”) and τὸν ἀδελφόν, modified by genitive of relationship μου, is the direct object. NIGTC notes a dual nuance of the verb here and translates, “so affronts my brother or sister as to trip them up” (italics supplied). The article τὸν with ἀδελφόν is generic (“a brother or sister”). 

In the apodosis of the condition, the double negatives οὐ μὴ emphatically negates the 2nd aorist φάγω (from ἐσθίω). οὐ μὴ + subjunctive forms ‘the most definite form of negation regarding the future’ (BDF §365). In the NT, ‘οὐ μή may be said to express prophetic emphasis’ or ‘an emotional emphasis’ (Zerwick §444). The verb is modified by the prepositional phrase εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα (lit. “into the next age”, i.e., “forever”). The prepositional phrase along with the double negated subjunctive is very emphatic (Fee: “I will never again eat meat as long as I live”). The aorist subjunctive refers to a hypothetical future, and is thus well rendered by an English future (“I will never eat ...”). 

τό κρέας (2x) is, “flesh, meat” (cf. English creatine, a compound providing energy to muscles). κρέα is the direct object of ἐσθίω above. The neuter plural κρέα (lit. “meats”) may refer to different kinds of meat (NIGTC: ‘i.e., meat in any form’). 

ἵνα μὴ indicates negative purpose, “lest”. τὸν ἀδελφόν, modified by genitive of relationship μου, is the direct object of the aorist subjunctive σκανδαλίσω (from σκανδαλίζω “I ensnare, cause to stumble/fall away”; subj. after ἵνα). ICC’s “put a stumbling-block in my brother’s way” may not communicate the severity of the situation as well as NIGTC’s “cause [their] downfall”.

[thegospelofstjohn]

"The Hanez." From the Gospel of Saint John, 6: 14-15.

The problem with boys is they can become zealots. We do not want converts to become zealots, we want them to continue to laude their teachers and follow their religions but on the way to the mountain where these things culminate in the discovery of the Self. Once the Self is made one becomes Shoftim, "tasteful." Zealousy is not tasteful.

In the Gospel of Mark we discussed the difference between the King of the Jews and the King of Israel. A King of the Jews is a revolting person. That one follows all the rules perfectly, and is a snot about it. The King of Israel...he is the one we want but He is not found in the Gospel of John until the end, after Jesus, the King of the Jews is cold and dead. But first, Jesus goes to the mountain, hoping not to be followed. Why not?

14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 850

15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Jesus was what was called a Nazir, like Samson. He was not sexually active. He chose instead to be a student and high priest of the Torah. Such a person cannot become the Nsh, who must be sexually available or the population will not respect him in his position. This contrast is relevant to our discussion of the Bar Mitzvah contained in this section of the Gospel of John as the Bar Mitzvah must be a Nazir but know when to become a cute little Nsh.

The topic, when to come into the world apparently preoccupies many Jews and persons of other faiths.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 14: The people saw the sign. Rather they probably smelled it first...

The Number is 8507, "the grace of hanz." A boy should become a man graciously. From hanez...

Han=find favor with someone using an attribute of God, not including a really big hard boner.

he masculine noun חן (hen), meaning favor or grace (of appearance: Proverbs 31:30; acceptance: Zechariah 4:7). This word is featured in the familiar phrase "finding favor" on the eyes of someone (Genesis 30:27, Exodus 33:12).

The adverb חנם (hinnam), meaning freely, gratis (Genesis 29:15); in vain or for no purpose (Malachi 1:10); without cause, undeservedly (1 Samuel 19:5).

The masculine noun חין (hin), probably meaning grace. It occurs only in Job 41:4, and (in the words of BDB Theological Dictionary), "the meaning is not very appropriate in this context ( . . . ) but nothing better has been proposed".

The adjective חנון (hannun), meaning gracious and only used as an attribute of God (Exodus 22:27, Psalm 116:5).

The feminine noun חנינה (hanina), meaning favor (Jeremiah 16:13 only)."

Ez= strong, protective. "regards the counsel of the fall of man and restores the Tree."

"Verb עוז ('uz) means to bring into refuge or to seek safety. Noun מעוז (ma'oz) describes a place or agent of safety, also the restored Tree of Life as witnessed by John the Revelator - Revelation 22:2) seem to promote a relationship with the verb עוץ ('us) meaning to counsel or regard."

v. 15: Little kids are not kings of the faith. They have to grow up quite a lot on their own. The Value in Gematria is 7213, ןי‎‎באג, "A nancy bugg." "a nanite roof."

You people do not have what is called, Sukkah or "invulnerability."

There is one mention of the Sukkoth before this in Vayishlach:

16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir [the hairy place- his role as a servant to the future generation]. 17 Jacob, however, went to Sukkoth [booths], where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Sukkoth.[g]

The festival of the Sukkoth "self esteem" is not fully observed in the Torah until long after the Israelites are freed by Moses from Rameses "self aggrandizement" and exit Egypt.

Until then, the Gospel of John says it is the duty of the King of Israel and the Shule to protect young Jewish boys from the rigors of the management of the affairs of the Jewish State. There comes a time for that later, but until then, the Jewish community must provide a safe envelope in which young persons can come of age that is religious but not too religious. Read Kedoshim again for details as to how this transition completes itself.

[thebookofnehemiah]

"The Steering Wheel and the Rudder." From the Book of Nehemiah, "the Exploration of the Mysteries of the Lions that Lay," 8: 4.

Ezra, the Law Professor continues to read from the Torah. This h does from a high wooden platform, #1429, Yadavt, "you will sit on the Sabbath."

The Nehemiah Torah also mentions audiences on the right and the left. Let us see what that means:

Right= #204, רד‎, red, "come down."

Left= #131, ההגה, aga, "the steering wheel and the rudder."

4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.

On the right:

Mattithiah=offering of talent

Shema= speak to a group of listeners

Anaiah=on behalf of the needy and afflicted

Uriah=bring the light of the Lord

Hilkiah= bring a mode of life

Maaseiah= provide shelter and refuge

On the left:

Pedaiah= upgrade to the standard of God

Mishael= who is what God is

Malkijah= God is the King

Hashum=

The verb חשש (hashash) means to hurry, or rather to be light-footed and hence quickly moved. Noun חשש (hashash) describes chaff, which proverbially is so light that a breath of wind carries it off swiftly.

Likewise, verb חוש (hush) means to hurry or hasten. Adverb חיש (hish) means quickly.

This verb חוש (hush) may also be used to mean to be agitated, worried or enjoyed. Although some dictionaries demand that this concerns a second, identical verb, it probably isn't and simply describes the situation that arises when people are "inspired" by either joy or fear, break composure and ride their emotions like chaff does wind.

Hashbaddanah= use every means

The verb חשב (hashab) means to think but instead of mere musing or theorizing this verb emphasizes mental activity with a practical (synthetic, technical or artistic) purpose in mind: to think up, to plan or devise.

Noun חשבון (heshbon) describes the entire library of artistic and technological knowledge. Noun מחשבה (mahashaba) denotes a thought, a plan, a device, an artistic object.

The verb דין (din) means to judge or govern. It's an old verb that mostly describes the authority of a naturally superior (because that person is wiser, stronger, older, etcetera) in contrast to the governing done by a formal government (by politically favored and appointed officials).

The noun דין (dayyan) describes one such a leader, and noun דין (din) describes anything pertaining to primitive governing: a judgment, plea, complaint, contention. Noun מדון (madon) literally describes a "place or judging" and is synonymous with the contending that goes on in such a place. Noun מדונה (medina) described the jurisdiction of one judge, and became the word for province.

Zechariah= remember and reproduce the learning process

The verb זכר (zakar) means to remember, to deliberately review, or to cause to remember or review — by means of public oration, urging and pleading, physical memorials, and so on.

Noun זכר (zeker) means remembrance, memory, memorial or invocation. Noun זכרון (zikkaron) or זכרן (zikkaron) denotes a memorial or token — a memorial day, altar-plates, stones, crowns, books, proof of citizenship, even spoils of war. Noun אזכרה ('azkara) refers to a memorial-offering.

Noun זכור (zakur) and noun and adjective זכר (zakar) mean male. This noun denotes the male of humans and animals, and marvelously illustrates the parallel between sexual reproduction and the learning process, which is so overly prevalent in the Bible.

This term might explain the Torah's emphasis on homosexuality as a metaphor for teaching the noble attributes of the gods and demigods, but certainly more than a few straight men have qualified without engaging in same sex relations.

Meshullam="make the peace work."

This frame more than any other contains information a Nsh needs to be able to govern and teach others how to do it. We are at present doing so very little of these things mentioned above.

The Value in Gematria is 8051, ףןא, "the face of leisure."

We could call the above the Nehemiah Hillels, "legal obligations of the Cupbearer of the King." Someone needs to do it.

The implications to the above to the fact the law makes the lions lay down and a life of leisure can also not be ignored. Like you I think God is trying to tell us He is feeling neglected because we will not peform in our prescribed legal roles and curb all the violence, poverty, and corruption. Surely it's not that difficult to do.

[englishhighbrowss]

Common Confusions in the English Language

Written by Yeisha Descalzo and Rachel Catanyag

This topic is somehow funny, but also one of the most concerning and controversial to hear and to know from people using the English Language. I have observed some of these common confusions with the said language.

1. Quite vs quiet

The word 'quite' is used to refer to the utmost degree or completely. The word 'quiet' means to make no or little noise, i.e., being noiseless and discreet.

2. Affect vs. Effect

Affect is usually used as a verb meaning “to influence or produce a change in something.” Effect is generally used as a noun, and refers to the result of a change, but it's sometimes used as a verb meaning “to bring about a specific change.”

3. Altogether vs. "All together"

Altogether means “completely,” “all things considered,” or “on the whole.” All together means “everyone together” or “everything together.”

4. Apart vs. "A part"

Apart implies a separation between things (they are away from one another), and a part denotes that a thing is a share of another, bigger thing (there's togetherness going on).

5. Desert vs. Dessert

Desert, spelled with one S, refers to a dry region. Dessert, spelled with two S's, refers to a sweet dish eaten after a meal. Sometimes, though, desert is an entirely different word referring to what you deserve, especially in the phrase just deserts.

6. Diffuse vs. Defuse

Diffuse can be used as a verb meaning "to spread out" or an adjective meaning "not concentrated." It is often confused with defuse, which can only be a verb. The original meaning of defuse was "to take the fuse off a bomb," but the word now usually means "to make less dangerous or tense."

7. Map vs mop

A mop (such as a floor mop) is a mass or bundle of coarse strings or yarn, etc., or a piece of cloth, sponge, or other absorbent material, attached to a pole or stick. It is used to soak up liquid, for cleaning floors and other surfaces, to mop up dust, or for other cleaning purposes. Map is the shortened term referring to a two-dimensional representation of the surface of the world.

8. Were vs. We’re vs. Where vs. Wear

Where is most commonly used as an adverb to define a location or position. It can also be used informally as a conjunction in place of the words "that" or "whereas." We're is a contraction of "we are." Where is most commonly used as an adverb to define a location or position. Wear is a verb and a noun. As a verb, it can mean "to bear or decorate on a body," as in "to wear clothes," or it can mean "to break something down over time," as in "to wear down during a physical activity."

9. Pore vs. Pour

A pore is small opening in a surface that lets stuff through. To pour, on the other hand, means to flow continuously and rapidly.

10. Lie vs. Lay

Lay means "to place something down flat," while lie means "to be in a flat position on a surface."

11. Lose vs. Loose

Lose typically functions only as a verb, with meanings related to failing to win or hold onto something; one might “lose a game” or “lose one's temper.” Loose can be used as an adjective ("not securely attached"), a verb ("to free something or someone"), and less commonly, a noun or adverb.

12. Your and you're

"Your" indicates possession (e.g., "Your book"), while "you're" is a contraction of "you are" (e.g., "You're going to the party").

13. There, Their, and They're

"There" indicates location (e.g., "Over there"), "their" shows possession (e.g., "Their house"), and "they're" is a contraction of "they are" (e.g. "They're coming").

14. Its and It's

"Its" denotes possession by "it" (e.g., "The dog wagged its tail"), while "it's" is a contraction of "it is" (e.g., "It's raining").

15. To, Too, and Two

"To" is a preposition or infinitive marker (e.g., "Go to the store"), "too" means "also" or "excessively" (e.g., "I want to go too"), and "two" is the number 2.

16. Accept and Except

Accept is a verb meaning to receive or agree to. Except is usually a preposition meaning aside from or excluding.

17. Bring and Take

Use “bring” if the action is directed toward you. Use “take” if the action is away from you.

18. Censor(v) and Censure

To censor is to suppress objectionable subject matter, while to censure is to criticize strongly or disapprove.

19. Conscience and Conscious

Conscience is a noun referring to a sense of right and wrong, while conscious is an adjective meaning awake or aware.

20. Continuous and Continual

Continuous means constant, without interruption, while continual means recurring or frequently repeated.

Understanding these distinctions can help improve communication and prevent misunderstandings.

Above everything, these confusions and mistakes can still be corrected as long as the person is willing to be corrected and has the desire to be better in the language, and especially, when a person is really interested to excel in using the language.

References: 1. 'Lose' or 'Loose'? 2. How to Use 'Lay' and 'Lie' 3. pore/pour 4. Mop vs. Map 5. 'Diffuse' vs. 'Defuse' 6. “Desert” vs. “Dessert”: When To Use Each One 7. When to use apart 8. Altogether vs. All Together 9. “Affect” vs. “Effect”: What’s the Difference? 10. Difference between Quite and Quiet 11. Advance vs. Advanced 12. Common Confused Words

[ashirisu]

i am a big supporter of both knowing the Rules™ of writing and also of breaking them wherever and whenever it fits the vibe.

the thing about these snappy, frequently recycled pieces of writing advice is that yeah, they're really great rules of thumb if you're trying to avoid the common pitfalls of amateur writers, but they get tossed out so much and so passionately that people start treating them like they're the end-all, be-all rules of How To Write Good And Proper.

and they're really not—there are going to be a lot of times in your writing when it's better to tell instead of show, or to use adverbs, or to use "said" or toss out the dialogue tags altogether, etc. and like the previous commenter said, creating a structure piecemeal for yourself is damaging. it will actively hold you back because you'll never allow yourself room to see what other techniques will do for your writing.

writing is like any other skill and art form in that you actively need to practice, improvise, make "mistakes," and evaluate those mistakes in order to grow. something that you currently define as a poor writing practice may turn out to be a cornerstone of your unique style.

(personal example: i had a fear of run-on sentences drilled into me all throughout school, only to get into college and learn that not only is polysyndeton a thing, it is positively marvelous for the exact flavor of anxiety that i love writing)

i do think there's a balance to be struck—my experience is that it's much more helpful to learn what the Rules™ actually are and how to use them before you start breaking them on purpose, but you also don't want to go down the self-invalidating path of assuming you're never good enough to start playing around and doing things you're not "supposed" to.

this isn't chemistry, nothing's going to blow up. have a silly fun time.

hi it's me. "telling" in writing is sometimes fine. if you think a scene is better served by summarizing a character's reaction in plain, direct language, that's a thing you're allowed to do. you could consider elaborating from that direct language and using that to "show".

but like "show, don't tell" is absolutely not always the case unless you really want to buff out your word count. i had a writer early on quote "show, don't tell" to me when i showed her a scene that included what was essentially a set-piece character i described as a "sleepy-eyed dancer". she wanted me to spend time describing this character's exhaustion instead of just directly saying it. This dancer - who is referenced once in the initial description of a setting and never, ever shows up again.

that was probably the day i learned that you can hear writing advice and respond politely but quietly think "mm no". you can also do this.

(feel free to fight me in the comments but know that i despise catchy and generalized writing advice like this and the way it can hinder new writers when stated with no room for exploration. and i will die on this hill. i am not normal about this)

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hiya, I hope youre having a good day!

On your advice for stiff writing, you said to 'avoid purple prose'. Im just wondering what that means? Sorry if I missed something from an earlier post.

Purple Prose and How to Avoid It

"Purple prose" is what we call writing that is "flowery" or ornate to the extent that it's melodramatic and pulls the reader's focus away from the actual story. Some things that contribute to purple prose:

1 - Overuse of Elegant and Elaborate Words

Normal Sentence: Clara stepped to the balcony and looked out over the crowd, finely dressed and buzzing with courtly gossip.

Purple Prose: Clara traipsed to the wrought iron precipice and gazed upon the throng, opulently clad and susurrous with scandalous hearsay and scurrilous palaver.

The problem: One of our biggest goals as writers is to effectively communicate the stories inside our heads, and we do that by making sure our prose is generally clear, direct, and precise. The overuse of elegant and elaborate words in the second example defeats the clarity because the reader is constantly having to think about what each word means, and maybe even look them up. When you read "balcony" you don't have to think about what that is. But "wrought iron precipice" requires a little more time to work out. "Crowd" is straightforward and clear where "throng" isn't. Everyone knows what gossip is, but "susurrous with scandalous hearsay" is just... whut.

The Solution: Most of the time, try to use the clearest, most direct words to communicate what you're trying to say. Don't constantly run to the thesaurus to find a fancier word. Ornate words should be saved for times when you really need the special impact.

2 - Overuse of Long Sentences

Normal Sentence: The finely dressed crowd buzzed with courtly gossip. (8 words)

Purple Prose: The throng was opulently clad and susurrous with scandalous hearsay and scurrilous palaver. (13 words)

The Problem: A variety of sentence lengths creates a cadence that helps your story flow. Since purple prose usually adds unnecessary words ("susurrous with scandalous hearsay and scurrilous palaver" takes seven words to say the same thing as "courtly gossip") you end up with more long sentences than short or mid-length sentences, if any at all, so not only do you not get that cadence, you often end up slowing the flow of the story.

The Solution: Keep an eye on your sentence length. If you see a lot of long sentences, see which ones you can tighten up. Not only will this help eliminate purple prose, but it will give you a nice variety of sentence lengths that will give your prose cadence and improve the flow of your story.

3 - Overuse of Figurative Language

I'm fudging the example here because I'm tired and my brain can't do figurative language right now, but it's things like metaphor, simile, hyperbole, idioms, symbolism, onomatopoeia, euphemism, and alliteration.

The Problem: Figurative language isn't usually the clearest, most direct to say something--though once in a while it does add much-needed clarity--so it's definitely not something you want in every sentence. Another issue with figurative language is it can be tricky to come up with something new or not over used, so a lot of figurative language falls into cliché territory. ("Their muscles were hard as rocks," "It was the calm before the storm," "They woke up on the wrong side of the bed...")

Solution: Make sure figurative language is used with intention and purpose. Before you use it, ask yourself what the figurative language accomplishes... how does it enrich the story or the reader's experience? Is it being used in a place that needs the added impact?

4 - Overuse of Adjectives and Adverbs

Normal sentence: She tiptoed down the steps and melted into the crowd, hoping not to be seen.

Purple Prose: She walked gently down the steep steps and quietly melted into the bustling crowd, desperately hoping not to be seen.

The Problem: Quite often, adverbs can be replaced by active verbs. There's no point in saying "walked gently" when you can say "tiptoed." No need to say "said loudly" when you could say "shouted." No need to say "drove quickly" when you could say "sped." And sometimes adverbs just don't add anything. If she tiptoes down the steps and melts into the crowd, isn't it kind of obvious that she's really reeeally hoping not to be seen? Describing that hope as "desperate" doesn't necessarily tell us anything useful. And in much the same way, while adjectives can certainly help paint a picture, when they're being over used, it's a good bet a lot of them aren't doing anything important. Why do we need to know the steps are "steep"? Is that going to be important later?

The Solution: Make sure you replace adverbs with active verbs whenever possible, and try to save adjectives for when they serve a purpose--either to flesh out description in important ways or tell the reader something they need to know for later.

5 - Overuse of Emotional and Sensory Description

Normal Sentence: She hoped no one saw her but couldn't fight off the feeling someone had. The fear made her heart pound and left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Purple Prose: She was absolutely desperate not to be seen, would pass out from shock if anyone saw her. Sweat streamed down her neck and pooled at the small of her back. She was so nervous she shook like a leaf, tasting bile in her throat as her heart pounded in her chest. The incessant chatter of the blathering crowd was almost drowned out by the frightening rush of blood in her ears.

The Problem: There's just too much going on. I love sensory description, but it doesn't have to be ALL the senses. And emotional details are great too, but she's desperate, potentially shocked, frightened, nervous... it's too much emotion. It's melodramatic.

The Solution: Use emotional description only when it's necessary, and don't forget you can also illustrate emotion by using physical and internal cues. Sensory description is great, too, but don't feel like you have to include all the sensory details in every description.

I hope that helps!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[wolveria]

Quick & Dirty Writing Advice

Just a few things I’ve picked up and learned from other authors:

Write what you want to read. Writing what you think will be popular will never be as satisfying, and it’s impossible to predict what will be popular anyway.

Writer’s block is a self-fulfilling prophecy. There are reasons that you’re “blocked” from writing, such as mental health, exhaustion, lack of time, etc., but writer’s block itself doesn’t exist. You don’t wait around for inspiration (and published authors certainly can’t, being on deadlines). You can dip into your well of motivation and inspiration by reading other books, watching movies/shows, talking about your projects, and rereading your own writing. But waiting around for your muse takes the control out of your hands. Writing is active, not passive. If you’re lacking motivation, write anyway, and the act itself may inspire you.

Burn out is a real thing. I’ve gone for months without writing because that’s what I needed to do. It didn’t make me any less of a writer, and it won’t make you less of one either.

Using the word “said” is great! It’s preferred 90% of the time! It’s one of those words that the reader skims over without noticing, which smooths the flow of your writing. When you add a different dialogue tag to every piece of dialogue (such as explained, argued, protested, agreed, etc), it slows down your writing and distracts from what’s actually being spoken. Use dialogue tags sparingly, and you’ll make a bigger impact when you use them.

Learn to stop leaning on filter words. Words like “feel” “noticed” “saw” “heard.” These words put distance between your audience and what the character is experiencing.

Example: “I felt his hand on mine.”

Can be changed to: “His hand touched mine.”

Example: “I smelled freshly brewed coffee coming from the kitchen.”

Can be changed to: “The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted from the kitchen, filling the air with its enticing scent.”

Want to write more? Then write! If you write consistently and with regularity, whether it be every day or every weekend, you get into the habit of writing. Put on ambient sounds, grab a snack, make a cup of tea, and do that every time. Your mind starts to associate those things with writing time and puts you in the mindset before you even open that doc.

Do not edit your WIP! Get that first draft written without going back to edit. I’m serious, don’t edit a thing until you’re at a point where you’re ready to post. Only then go back and edit, otherwise your writing momentum will grind to a halt. If you need to read back a couple paragraphs to get your bearings, then go for it, but I promise you you’ll be doing yourself a huge favor by leaving editing to the very end.

First drafts aren’t supposed to be pretty or even coherent. Their only purpose is to get words on the page. Let them be a mess. That’s what the editing stage is for, to clean everything up, add new scenes, delete redundant ones, whatever makes the story better. Besides, once you start writing more, the less editing you’ll need to do as your skills improve.

And for my last bullet point, similar to the dialogue tag advice, don’t overuse your adverbs. You don’t need to describe every action with an adverb. When you use them less, they make a bigger impact. There are other ways to describe your character’s action.

Example: “He spoke quietly.”

Can be changed to: “He dipped his head, casting a glance around the room as he spoke.”

I am guilty of adverb abuse and breaking a few of these rules myself, but once you learn the rules, you can gauge when and how to break them for the sake of elevating your writing.

This advice is meant to be practical, as it’s coming from someone who works over 40 hours a week and is often distracted by exhaustion and chronic illness. My time and energy is limited, but I find writing to be very worthwhile.

For more writing advice, I suggest Alexa Donne’s youtube channel. She started writing with fanfiction, so a lot of her information is applicable to fanfic authors too.

[escapetoluna]

How to learn a language when you don’t know where to start:

General Plan:

Weeks 1 and 2: Purpose:

Learn the fundamentals sentence construction

Learn how to spell and count

Start building a phrase stockpile with basic greetings

The Alphabet

Numbers 1 - 100

Subject Pronouns

Common Greetings

Conjugate the Two Most Important Verbs: to be and to have

Basic Definite and Indefinite Articles

Weeks 3 and 4: Purpose:

Learn essential vocabulary for the day-to-day

Start conjugating regular verbs

Days of the Week and Months of the Year

How to tell the time

How to talk about the weather

Family Vocabulary

Present Tense Conjugations Verbs

Weeks 5 and 6: Purpose:

Warm up with the last of the day-to-day vocabulary

Add more complex types of sentences to your grammar

Colours

House vocabulary

How to ask questions

Present Tense Conjugations Verbs

Forming negatives

Weeks 7 and 8: Purpose:

Learn how to navigate basic situations in a region of your target language country

Finish memorising regular conjugation rules

Food Vocabulary and Ordering at Restaurants

Money and Shopping Phrases

Present Tense Conjugations Verbs

Weeks 9 and 10: Purpose:

Start constructing descriptive and more complex sentences

Adjectives

Reflective verbs

Places vocabulary

Weeks 11 and 12: Purpose:

Add more complex descriptions to your sentences with adverbs

Wrap up vocabulary essentials

Adverbs

Parts of the body and medical vocabulary

Tips for Learning a Foreign Language:

Learning Vocabulary:

What vocabulary should I be learning?

There are hundreds of thousands of words in every language, and the large majority of them won’t be immediately relevant to you when you’re starting out.Typically, the most frequent 3000 words make up 90% of the language that a native speaker uses on any given day. Instead try to learn the most useful words in a language, and then expand outwards from there according to your needs and interests.

Choose the words you want/need to learn.

Relate them to what you already know.

Review them until they’ve reached your long-term memory.

Record them so learning is never lost.

Use them in meaningful human conversation and communication.

How should I record the vocabulary?

Learners need to see and/or hear a new word of phrase 6 to 17 times before they really know a piece of vocabulary.

Keep a careful record of new vocabulary.

Record the vocabulary in a way that is helpful to you and will ensure that you will practice the vocabulary, e.g. flashcards.

Vocabulary should be organised so that words are easier to find, e.g. alphabetically or according to topic.

Ideally when noting vocabulary you should write down not only the meaning, but the grammatical class, and example in a sentence, and where needed information about structure.

How should I practice using the vocabulary?

Look, Say, Cover, Write and Check - Use this method for learning and remembering vocabulary. This method is really good for learning spellings.

Make flashcards. Write the vocabulary on the front with the definition and examples on the back.

Draw mind maps or make visual representations of the new vocabulary groups.

Stick labels or post it notes on corresponding objects, e.g when learning kitchen vocabulary you could label items in your house.

How often should I be practising vocabulary?

A valuable technique is ‘the principle of expanding rehearsal’. This means reviewing vocabulary shortly after first learning them then at increasingly longer intervals.

Ideally, words should be reviewed:

5-10 minutes later

24 hours later

One week later

1-2 months later

6 months later

Knowing a vocabulary item well enough to use it productively means knowing:

Its written and spoken forms (spelling and pronunciation).

Its grammatical category and other grammatical information

Related words and word families, e.g. adjective, adverb, verb, noun.

Common collocations (Words that often come before or after it).

Receptive Skills: Listening and Reading

Reading is probably one of the most effective ways of building vocabulary knowledge.

Listening is also important because it occupies a big chunk of the time we spend communicating.

Tips for reading in a foreign language:

Start basic and small.  Children’s books are great practice for beginners. Don’t try to dive into a novel or newspaper too early, since it can be discouraging and time consuming if you have to look up every other word.

Read things you’ve already read in your native language. The fact that you at least know the gist of the story will help you to pick up context clues, learn new vocabulary and grammatical constructions.

Read books with their accompanying audio books. Reading a book while listening to the accompanying audio will improve your “ear training”. It will also help you to learn the pronunciation of words.

Tips for listening in a foreign language:

Watch films in your target language.

Read a book while also listening along to the audio book version.

Listen to the radio in your target language.

Watch videos online in your target language.

Activities to do to show that you’ve understood what you’ve been listening to:

Try drawing a picture of what was said.

Ask yourself some questions about it and try to answer them.

Provide a summary of what was said.

Suggest what might come next in the “story.”

Translate what was said into another language.

“Talk back” to the speaker to engage in imaginary conversation.

Productive Skills: Speaking and Writing

Tips for speaking in a foreign language:

If you can, try to speak the language every day either out loud to yourself or chat to another native speaker whether it is a colleague, a friend, a tutor or a language exchange partner. 

Write a list of topics and think about what you could say about each one. First you could write out your thoughts and then read them out loud. Look up the words you don’t know. You could also come up with questions at the end to ask someone else.

A really good way to improve your own speaking is to listen to how native speakers talk and imitate their accent, their rhythm of speech and tone of voice. Watch how their lips move and pay attention to the stressed sounds. You could watch interviews on YouTube or online news websites and pause every so often to copy what you have just heard. You could even sing along to songs sung in the target language.

Walk around the house and describe what you say. Say what you like or dislike about the room or the furniture or the decor. Talk about what you want to change.This gets you to practise every day vocabulary.

Tips for writing in a foreign language:

Practice writing in your target language. Keep it simple to start with. Beginner vocabulary and grammar concepts are generally very descriptive and concrete.

Practice writing by hand. Here are some things you can write out by hand:

Diary entries

Shopping lists

Reminders

What could I write about?

Write about your day, an interesting event, how you're feeling, or what you're thinking.

Make up a conversation between two people. 

Write a letter to a friend, yourself, or a celebrity. You don't need to send it; just writing it will be helpful.

Translate a text you've written in your native language into your foreign language.

Write a review or a book you've recently read or a film you've recently watched.

Write Facebook statuses, Tweets or Tumblr posts (whether you post them or not will be up to you).

Write a short story or poem.

Writing is one of the hardest things to do well as a non-native speaker of a language, because there’s no room to hide. 

There are lots of ways to improve your writing ability, but they can be essentially boiled down to three key components:

Read a lot

Write a lot

Get your writing corrected