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你好！My name is Ben and I'm trying to learn Chinese. I learned a bit of Spanish when I was in high school, but I always struggled to learn languages in a classroom setting. I've been out of school for a while and I've decided I'd like to take another shot at learning a second language. I think Chinese is going to be a really important language to know in the next 50 years and that if I knew how to speak Chinese it might open up some interesting career and travel opportunities to me. I'm primarily looking for language exchange partners although I'm not opposed to paying for a language teacher. I very interested in doing a 50/50 language exchange with someone. As long as you don't mind learning English with a midwestern American accent I'd be more than happy to trade time speaking Chinese for practice speaking English. If you'd like to talk on Skype or through iTalki please send me a message. I've been working on memorizing vocabulary and have been working through the Pimsleur CDs. So far I know all of the HSK level 1 vocabulary and some of the level 2, but I don't speak very well yet. I probably understand more than I can say. So if I'm slow and frustrating to talk with, I apologize in advance, but I promise I'll improve with help.
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Chinese (Mandarin)
Spanish
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EnglishNative
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  • Corrected

    Will electronic dictionaries kill (could use 'replace') printed dictionaries?

    Many people today prefer to use electronic dictionaries instead of printed dictionaries. Some people worry that with the increasing number of people using eletronic dictionaries, the printed ones will be totally replaced. From my perspective, printed dictionaries will not (maybe use 'never' instead') be totally replaced.
    There are several reasons supporting my idea, as follows: first, the definitions for words in printed dictionaries are more complete and more correct than in electronic dictionaries.  This is why students are often requested to use printed dictionaries because they have more examples and definitions which help them study. Second, there are still some people that enjoy the feeling of turning the pages of a book while sitting at a desk when they are looking up words.
    In summary, printed dictionaries will still play an important role in language study and will never be completely replaced by electronic dictionaries.


    Good arguments.  Nicely written and easy to understant.  Just a few stylistic and grammar corrections to make it sound more like a native.  Nice job!

    0 voted
    February 15, 2013
    1
  • Answered
    Glance can be used to mean "to briefly look at something" but it can also mean "to hit something at an angle" (e.g. the bus mirror delivered a glancing blow to his head). Glimpse can also mean to briefly see something and could be used as a synonym for glance, but I tend to think that the difference is in intention. When you glance at something you are intending to look at it, glimpse feels more passive. It means you saw something briefly without intending to (e.g. As she walked past she caught a glimpse of the bank robber fleeing).
    0 voted
    February 12, 2013
    1
  • Answered
    Pancake day is British English term for the day before the start of Lent. In other countries it's called Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. In England it's called Pancake Day because of the tradition of eating pancakes on that day. In traditionally Christian countries Lent is a period of fasting before Easter. Mardis Gras/Fat Tuesday/etc. is celebrated as sort of "the last hoorah" before having to go through a month of fasting and giving up certain foods.
    0 voted
    February 12, 2013
    0
  • Answered
    我的家在好多大山的里面 My home is deep in the mountains. 我的家里有座小房子、有棵大枣树、还有会唱歌的小鸟 I have a small house, with a big date tree and song birds. 房子里住着我，妈妈，爸爸，爷爷，还有奶奶。 My mother, father, grandfather, grandmother and I all live in my (or:the) house. alternatively My mother, father, grandfather, grandmother and I all live there.
    0 voted
    February 12, 2013
    1
  • Answered
    “The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.” -Mark Twain
    0 voted
    February 12, 2013
    1
  • Answered
    Both of the previous answers are correct, although the first is probably a bit more common. It just depends on whether 'stand by' is being used as a verb (command) or as a noun. For the noun form 'stand in' could be used as a synonym.
    0 voted
    February 12, 2013
    0
  • Corrected
    0 voted
    February 11, 2013
    0
  • Answered
    "Alternative" is an adjective whereas "alternate" is a verb. You use "alternative" when you're presenting possibilites for consideration, like "We could go to the park or as an alternative we could go to a movie". "Alternative" can also be used in a singular context to describe something outside of the norm (e.g. "an alternative lifestyle"), meaning someone that lives in a way that people think is odd. "Alternate" means to vary repeatedly between usually two things. For instance, "Over the last two weeks the weather has alternated between hot and cold".
    0 voted
    February 10, 2013
    1
  • Answered
    "a lot" is a synonym for "often" or "frequently", although "often" and "frequently" only pertain to events happening in time whereas "a lot" could also refer to quantity of things (e.g. "A lot of food"). However, in this context "I am on frequently", "I am on often" and "I am on a lot" are all corrrect. Also the negative of "always" is "never". If you said "not always" or "always not" a native English speaker would know what you meant but it sounds awkward.
    0 voted
    February 10, 2013
    0
  • Answered
    I think you have that reversed. I might say something like "Long before cars were invented people rode horses to get around." and if for instance I was going somewhere on a trip I might say, "Before long we'll be pulling into Omaha (a city)". So 'long before' indicates a period in the past that occurred before something else, 'before long' means 'in the near future'.
    0 voted
    February 10, 2013
    3