I’m confused on how to use commas in dialogue on how to refer to people. I’ll leave an example sentence. I need to know if this is an actual error or simple a editing style preference or a case by case basis based on readability.
“Hey man, do your thing.” “Hey, man, do your thing.”
Or the same with a name
“Yeah, Alex, we should do that. “Yeah Alex, we should do that.
I think the extra comma is more correct, but is it always more correct? Or is it subjective l? Like in a quick phrase like okay sure
“Okay, sure, we’ll do that.” “Okay sure, we’ll do that.”
Also another question, opens ended phrases at the end of a sentence, do they always need commas? Such as,
I could be wrong, though I could be wrong though We’ll do that, then We’ll do that then
Etc.

There are too many situations where you want to follow a comma separated phrase with another comma separated phrase, and the second construction follows in addition to the first.
I don't see any way where this would be confusing when used well, so it should be accepted.

I made a post about my score improvement and got quite a few PMs so I'd like to make my own post specifically for the strategies that worked for me! At some point above 1500 the SAT becomes less about knowledge and more about strategy, and I know this because I didn't study at all between my test dates; I just changed my strategy.
My first tip: your mentality. You need to be in a good state of mind during your test - this looks like getting a good night's sleep, eating something good in the morning, maybe drinking some caffeine (maybe not; you know yourself better than I do). And I know this is so much easier said than done, but don't stress too much. I already had a 1540 so I went in with the mindset that I would still be fine if I failed, and I think being relaxed helped me a lot. I think if you do your practice tests while simulating a real test this will help - I did my tests while playing "computer lab ambient noises" on YouTube, so you could try that. Do your best to feel your best on test day!
Now, for Reading (I got an 800), your strategy is really important (after you know your fundamental grammar, of course). The optimal solution is going to be different for everyone, but here are some miscellaneous strategies that I used:

1. Understand the main idea and the idea of each sentence. Often the main idea is stated in the first or last sentence, and to make the text more understandable to me, I used the annotate function to paraphrase each sentence. Once I analyzed the meaning of each individual sentence, I was able to understand the text better and I was able to understand the function of each sentence in relation to the others
2. Reading and Writing is, as they say, EVIDENCE-BASED. This means that the correct answer will always be supported directly by the text - if an answer is correct, you will be able to highlight a sentence or phrase that basically explicitly says the same thing as the answer key. Don't make inferences or jumps in logic!
3. PROCESS OF ELIMINATION! The strikethrough tool is a godsend on the DSAT, so make sure you know how to use it. There are sometimes answer choices that are partially true and partially incorrect - if an answer choice has even a single assertion that is not directly supported by the text, cross it out. This way you sometimes don't even have to find the right answer, you just have to know the others are wrong. And if you guess, you have a greater than 25% chance of getting it right
4. Read the question before the text so you know what to look for. Pretty self-explanatory
5. For the last 3 or 4 questions where you have to use bullet points to support a claim, you don't need to actually read the bullet points - the correct answer will be obvious from looking at the answer choices. By not reading the bullet points, I basically halved the time I was spending on these questions, allowing me to focus on the trickier questions more.
6. Speaking of timing, do NOT rush. This is what was my downfall in my 1540. The digital SAT is curved, so if you make a careless mistake on an easy question, you will lose more points than if you mess up on a hard question. You don't need to go through every question twice; just spend some extra time the first time and review the ones you flagged.
7. And then advice on a few question types that I personally struggled with:
   1. The answer to "main idea" questions will never be in a specific example from the text. I don't really know how to explain this, except that examples will usually support the main idea rather than expressing it.
   2. Transition word questions are easy - they are asking, "how does the function this sentence relate to the priofollowing sentence?". If you do the annotate and summarize thing that I do it's fr a walk in the park.
   3. This is super specific but a name/clause will only be surrounded by commas or em dashes if it is nonessential. For example, between these two sentences: "American author Dan implies..." and "American author, Dan, implies...", the first one would be correct because the identity of the author is important to this question.

For Math (I got a 790), I have fewer tips, because I think Math is really just about knowing the concepts. What helped me was taking math a grade up, doing Kumon, and participating in math olympiads (I really think these are valuable even if you don't place or anything; I'm not really a standout but they helped with my problem solving). However, you should know desmos in and out. Know every piece of its functionality, and know how to apply it to basically every single problem in the math section. Lastly, what I struggled with was getting tired and losing focus. Especially near the end of module 2, I found that I really had to slow down and be methodical with my work so that I was not making careless mistakes.
The only resource I used other than Bluebook was Erica Meltzer, and I definitely recommend her grammar textbook. That's all; props to you if you managed to read all this, and good luck on your SAT!

Anyone else read this book and just... hated it? I'm only on page 135, but I think it'll have to be the second book ever that I DNF. It reads like something I would have written when I was 15 and role-playing on the internet with my friends in the early 2000s, lol.
Obviously, no hate to anyone who loved it. Just had to get my thoughts out there.
There appears to be next to zero editing. Random comma here, weird change in past/present tense words in the same sentence. Over explanations of something as simple as opening a door, yet hardly any description as to a characters emotions or thought process. Very repetitive phrases and situations. And if Kasia brings up those orphans one more time, I will riot. We know they're orphans and that they need your help. You've mentioned it 248 times in 135 pages of book. That's enough slices!!
I just really hate spending money on a book just to not finish it. Just disappointed in it, really. Reviews were good and I saw people in FaceBook book groups rave about it. Just needed a place to vent about it, I guess, and wanted to read other people's opinions on it!
sigh Oh well. Thanks for reading!

I created a list of some awesome websites that I would like to share with you guys. If you have any other website not listed here, feel free to share with us!

• Cliché Finder (https://www.clichefinder.net/) - A tool that helps writers find and highlight cliches in their writing, giving them replacement options for weaker words
• Describing Words (https://describingwords.io/) - A tool that helps writers find the right adjectives to describe a noun
• Descriptionari (https://www.descriptionari.com/) - A place where writers can discover and share inspirational writing and amazing descriptions based on a keyword
• Fiction University (http://blog.janicehardy.com/) - A place full of blogs to help develop writing skills and ways to build a solid foundation for writing
• Helping Writers Become Authors (https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/) - A site full of writing references ranging from outlining and structuring to characterization and dialogue
• Insecure Writers Support Group (https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/) - A place where insecure writers can find guidance and motivation on writing, publishing, and marketing
• One Stop for Writers (https://onestopforwriters.com/) - A site full of worksheets, templates, generators, and the largest show-don't-tell descriptive database
• OneLook Thesaurus (https://www.onelook.com/thesaurus/) - A brainstorming tool that helps writers find words and phrases such as synonyms, related words, adjectives, rhymes, along with an advanced reverse dictionary search function
• QueryTracker (https://querytracker.net/) - A tool that helps writers find literary agents and publishers ideal for their book
• Related Words (https://relatedwords.io/) - A tool that helps writers find words that are related to a specific topic
• RhymeZone (https://www.rhymezone.com/) - An advanced tool that helps writers find rhymes, near rhymes, synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and more
• Tip of My Tongue (https://chir.ag/projects/tip-of-my-tongue/ or https://tipofmytongue.io/) - A lifesaving word-finder tool that helps writers find the word that they have forgotten the name
• Word Counter (https://wordcounter.net/) - A tool that helps writers count the number of words they've used and which ones are used the most often
• Writers Write (https://www.writerswrite.com/research/resources/) - A collection of references and resources that help writers in researching a topic
• Writing Realistic Injuries (http://www.users.totalise.co.uk/\~leiafee/ramblings/realistic\_injuries.htm) - A page dedicated on helping writers write realistic injuries with post-traumatic symptoms

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Peace to you all!
The Bible says:

Haggai 2:9: "Great will be the glory of this last House, more (glorious) than the former, said the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give Peace, declares the Lord of hosts."

The "House" here is the Kaaba, while the "Peace" here could be interpreted as the Covenant of Peace, i.e. Islam.
Verse 15 says:

"Now, pay attention from this day forward, before setting God's stone in the temple of Yahweh."

Obviously the the Kaaba and the Back stone. However, the Masoretes, added diacritics and transformed the phrase "אל" (which means "God") into "אֶל" (which means "to") and had successfully covered up this prophecy. It originally says "God's stone" when omitting the diacritics, while it is today saying "Before setting stone to/upon a stone," a statement that makes very little sense.
The 22nd verse says:

"And I will overthrow the throne of the kingdoms, and I will destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. And I will overthrow the chariots and their riders; and the horses and their riders shall come down, each one by the sword of his brother."

Implying that the emergence of this "last house" will come with a lot of wars, which unfortunately was the case with the oppressive pagans and others who didn't like Islam when it came.
Verse 23 says:

"And it shall be from new moon to new moon, an end to His Sabbath shall come. All flesh shall come to bow down before me, said the LORD."

New moon to new moon, clearly foretelling the Ramadan, and that the Sabbath will end and that all people from all corners of the earth will come to bow down to God (Mecca). But the masoretes completely misinterpreted the verse and interpreted it as "From new moon to new moon, from Sabbath to Sabbath" while,
The word "שׁבת" in classical dictionaries is literally defined as:

1. to cease, desist; to rest.
2. (— Qal)
   1. he ceased, desisted;
   2. he desisted from labor, rested;
   3. he observed the Sabbath, he spent the Sabbath;
   4. he struck, was on strike (properly ‘he stopped working’).
3. (— Niph.)
   1. ceased.
4. (— Hiph.)
   1. he caused to cease, put an end to;
   2. he removed, exterminated, destroyed;
   3. he locked out (workers).
5. (— Hoph.)
   1. was made to cease, was stopped;
   2. he ceased, perished;
   3. was locked out (from his work).
      1. [JAram. שְׁבַת (= he rested; he observed the Sabbath), Arab. sabata (= he cut off, interrupted, ceased, rested). Akka. shabātu, which prob. means ‘to complete, cease, desist’. cp. שֶׁבֶת ᴵ.]Derivatives: שַׁבָּת, שְׁבוּת ᴵᴵ, שְׁבִיתָה, שׁוֹבֵת, מִשְׁבָּת, מֻשְׁבָּת.

Source: מקור: Klein Dictionary
The phrase: "שבת בשבתו יבוא" is literally translated as "An end to His Sabbath shall come." But they interpreted "שׁבת" as "Sabbath" and also (for some weird reason) the term "בשבתו" simply as "Sabbath" as well, while it grammar speaks a different story:

• Preposition: ב (b') - "in" or "on"
• Noun: שבת (shabbat) - "Sabbath"
• Suffix: ו (o) - third person masculine singular possessive suffix, meaning "his"

I.e. "His Sabbath," together with "שׁבת" (end) and "יבוא" (will come), faithfully and accurately translates to:

"An end will come to His Sabbath."

This is how they covered up prophecies, the Masoretes. There's hundreds of them still undiscovered I believe. I find something every other day. They've probably worked for decades just to cover them all up. I'm not even exaggerating...
Thanks for reading :) Like and share!
/By your bro, Exion.

Disclaimer: I'm not a researcher
So I bought 400+ Japanese stickers and labelled literally everything in my house and office in Japanese (see original post below). I'm working up to N4 and thought it would be a nice easy way to study, which it has been. But I didn't expect my two housemates to pick up much if anything. This post is the results of their two months of exposure for them from absolute zero.
Firstly, it's been hilarious. They will come in and try to start speaking Japanese and I'll have no idea what they are saying but they are super keen and trying to impress.
I've had to guide them on pronuciation because you can't obviously get that from written text very well. But their vocabularies are actually pretty good. They have mostly nouns, but there are some adjectives, prepositions and short phrases they now have too.
I would say that each of them probably have a bank of 50+ words. Whats funny is these are mostly household items like:
鎮痛剤 - painkiller
蛇口 - faucet
唐辛子 - chilli
But they also have things like:
つまらない - boring
電気をつける - turn on the light
I'll check back in after 12 months or so with a follow up if anyone's interested.
My original post:
https://www.reddit.com/LearnJapanese/comments/1bgj8i1/i\_have\_440\_of\_these\_stuck\_all\_over\_my\_apartment/

here are a few of mine:
graphs may not be f(x), but instead transformations of f(x)
write EVERYTHING down algebraically, logic-ing things out tends to lead to silly mistakes even in easy questions, also draw figures, this alone saves needing like 10 extra tips to keep in mind.
look at the domain for those "write an equation thats y = 34x + 3" guys where theres a difference between x starting at zero and at a certain number. usually youll have to add the rate on x times that number to the entire thing to get like "f(x) = 34x + 37"
use desmos, its honestly amazing.
now for reading:
for logical word questions, try to pick one that doesnt add information and has the most direct justification. to help with this you can guess before you look at the answers so your not biased (helps for like 25% of the questions), and if your still stuck, just pick the most general, non opinionated sounding word.
also looking at the roots of words helps a lot too.
for the last questions, you dont even need to look at the bullet points. instead look for relation words that match the relation in the question. e.g. "student wants to show how 2 things are similar" first look for questions with 2 things, then look for "similar" relationship words like "both" or "similarly".
for transition words its the same thing, you should group them into relationship like "contrasting" "adding" "sequence" (this one is REALLY easy if you see 'finally" or "then" or "next" before or after). and if you see 2 in the same category, likely neither of them are the correct answer.
also try and guess the catagory before looking at the answer, i personally have gotten completely thrown off track because i looked at the answers first.
same thing with periods and semicolons, if you see both, neither of them are the right answer.
for colons, its usually correct if it answers a question posed about the previous sentence.
for subject verb, remember, prepositions dont count, and usually they use "of" prepositional phrases. also know that things inside two commas can be deleted and the sentence should be logically the same. and a sentence can start with a dependant clause and end with an independant one, and transitions always need commas and or periods surrounding them ". However, " ", however, " ", however.". also know the fanboys rule about connecting independent clauses.
for standard english ones, plug in and *read until the end of the sentence* ive gotten burned a couple times because i was being lazy and didnt read the entire thing.
look for dependant and independant clauses, and when in doubt, pick the option with the least grammar.
for data questions, cross out the answers that (if the question asks for it) dont support the author first, then verify with the data second.
for "function of the underlined portion" i find it helps if i litterally replace the answer i think it is and see if it makes sense in "idea".
also be REALLY sure of added information by the answers, anything sounding kindof opinionated should immediately raise red flags, same thing for author 1 and author 2 ones, usually the answer is justifiable and not an opinion or reaction, and instead some kind of restatement of something in the text, honestly thats most of the questions.
for the best supports argument ones, make sure it hits every point of their argument
for main purpose, its usually just a template / restating of the text.
also make sure to hit *every* point the question asks for
lastly when you have no clue, its best to pick the most minimal answer, least grammar, most general answer ime.
if any of yall disagree with something, or want to add anything, please let me know!

Tissue
Polysemous title- Tissue • Tissue- paper + skin (human life is fragile [criticises arrogance, encourages us to protect]) • Also paper (not alive) + skin (alive)- criticises monotony of life, not really living • Tissue paper- found in bibles and holy texts, but fragile (overinflated importance of identity causing wars and discrimination, really it’s very fragile and identity isn’t real, we’re all just people (tissue as in skin)) • Tissue- used to wipe away tears, togetherness can reduce suffering • Tissue- medical term for deep skin- poem shows deeper nature of humans and our potential for goodness, can be wounded and damaged by outside influences but can always heal
"Paper that lets the light shine through, this is what could alter things" - reference to religious texts paper, light as Jesus and Allah (power of religion) - or coexistence with nature (Dharker is a Muslim Calvinist)
Enjambment- freedom, lack of control of humans, rejecting constraints
Free verse- same thing
"Let the daylight break through capitals and monoliths" - power of nature, criticism of authority, weakness of humans- “break” violent personification, destroying authority, daylight + break = sunrise + hope
"The sun shines through their borderlines" - nature overcomes human segregation identity, criticism of war, power of nature) sibilance shows power, “their” still shows separation, criticise that
"fly our lives like paper kites" - childish metaphor, mocking control of money over life (criticism of authority)
"the back of the Koran" - “the” repetition shows importance, “back” shows it is hidden/shunned by society, still holding onto identity
"Transparent" - repetition, criticism of dishonesty of authority
Exposure
"Merciless iced east winds that knive us" - personification of wind shanking people (first line not about war but nature- more significant) (power of nature)- subtle sibilance (just as dangerous as bullets but most people don’t realise)- Germans were in the east, but the only thing from there is wind
ABBAC rhyme, structure is built only to be taken down (tension of soldiers expecting fight but let down)
Pararhyme- unsatisfying for reader, reflects how the soldiers are always nervous but never get to chill
“What are we doing here?” Rhetorical question to criticise authority, or actual question to show PTSD confusion, can be asking what they are DOING or why they are HERE
"For love of God seems dying" ok 1. The soldier's love of God is dying 2. God's love for the soldiers is dying 3. To show love of God, you should die
"forgotten dreams" - juxtaposition, loss of hope, forgotten dreams on purpose to be less sad? war made them forget? “forgotten” disassociated from PTSD, “dreams” as happiness from the past that seems unreal
“a dull rumour of some other war" reference to the Bible and Armageddon, metaphorical end of the world for the soldiers be suffering "sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence" - sibilance represents sound of bullets, jolting reader out of relative lack of noises, feel like soldiers
Epistrophe "but nothing happens" cyclical structure, stuck in suffering
“we” “us” “our” collective pronouns, shared experience, comradeship, loss of identity, relatable to all soldiers
Kamikaze
Title- single word, only military rank- only seen as a kamikaze pilot by others
Structure- 6 lines per stanza but free verse and lots of enjambment- conflict between control and freedom (military/social expectations/duty vs love for family/nature/memories/life)
Constant shifts between first person and third person- disconnect from family due to shame
“Her father embarked at sunrise” -sunrise as power of nature + Japan’s military flag- conflict
“a shaven head full of powerful incantations” -incantations are deliberately vague- orders from military? prayers? inner conscience against it? It’s “powerful” tho and influences him, and it’s “full” showing his distress, shaved head like most kamikaze pilots
“green-blue translucent sea” beautiful imagery, “translucent” shows how things are unclear but getting clearer- nature helps him decide what to do
Describes fishes “like a huge flag”- patriotic semantic field shows brainwashing, but reduces as the poem goes on, simile shows how he is starting to disconnect and change his mind,
also as “a figure of eight”- shows thoughts of pride and prosperity-
“The dark shoals of fishes/flashing silver as their bellies/swivelled towards the sun” - • sibilance shows ocean noises and beauty, “dark” -> “flashing silver” things get brighter and easier to see- knows what to do thanks to nature • “Silver”- medals he would have gotten for being a kamikaze pilot, but true reward is in nature • “Sun”- represents beauty of nature and also Japanese flag- conflict but now there’s also nature in the mix • Belly up- death on his mind
“bringing their father’s home safe/-yes, grandfather’s boat- safe” repetition of “safe” shows reason to come back- wants to return to family, memories
“a tuna, the dark prince, muscular, dangerous.” • first mention of danger = power in the whole poem, danger to the mission as it causes the pilot to have doubts, true power is in nature and memory • First full stop in the poem and lots of commas- makes us stop and think like the pilot about what he’s abt to do
“laughed” “loved” at the end of the poem- all in past tense- nothing left for the soldier
“we too learned to be silent”- “learned” should be positive but contrasts with what they learnt- criticises how they were taught shame by the older generations- but it’s said in first person, the daughter is criticising this and teaching her children not to think that way
Poppies
Title- honours and grieves dead soldiers, short single word title shows full intent of the poem and how the mother’s life is consumed by grief
Dramatic monologue- emphasis on the domestic impact and how the soldier isn’t present in the poem
Free verse, enjambment- chaotic, lack of control over the son, distressed
Domestic + military semantic fields- life has been ruined by war
“Spasms of paper red, disrupting a blockade of yellow bias”- mix between war + domestic • “spasms” and “red” is injury and pain- mother is worried or is hurt by letting go (spasms is involuntary muscle action- involuntary letting go), • “paper” is the fragility of the son • “blockade” is military language showing her worry abt the conflict, how she wants to “block” her son from going into the military • “disrupting” the fabric - the son becoming a soldier disrupts the peace or she is trying to disrupt him from going to war
“The dove pulled freely against the sky, / an ornamental stitch”- dove represents peace and grief- she and her son is at peace with death, “pulled freely” is an oxymoron- inner conflict with grief or letting her son go, the comma shows a pause to reflect on the grief, the “ornamental stitch” metaphor for the mother (pretends to hold it together)
“I was brave”- takes down ideas of just the soldier’s bravery but also the mother’s, but past tense shows current weakness from grief
“Sellotape bandaged around my hand” • Bandage shows wounds • Sticks them together one last time- cat hairs are removed, no more reason to stay • Claustrophobic feeling- stuck in the domestic role, can’t go and protect the son
“Blackthorns of your hair”- religious connotations of Jesus on the cross, sacrificed for the country- metaphor for the son
History Boys
"Enemy of education" war metaphor and alliteration, opposition between true understanding of literature and grades only used shallowly “Cheat’s Visa”
"a fact of life" indisputable and unchangable, in opposition with Irwin's views on history (truth does not matter to him until now?)
Drummer Hodge: Intertextuality, Tom Hardy (the poet) represents Hector, sympathising with the ordeal of the youth, Drummer Hodge represents the Boys, thrown into the chaos of life without proper guidance
"She's my western front" war metaphor objectifies Fiona, personal pronoun further expresses how women were seen as objects to be owned
“... all the other shrunken violets you people line up" [you people] segregates gay people, [shrunken violets] derogatory language
"Some of the literature says it will pass" looking to literature for solace and comfort during a sexuality crisis
"All literature is consolation" Dakin changes his mind on literature symbolising him changing to Irwin's side. No need to look for solace in literature when he can pursue Irwin
Parallels with "all knowledge is precious" from Hector - A.E. Housman, one of the first intertextualities and used in the intro to establish his character
“cunt-struck” “a cunt”- Mrs Lintott repeats the colloquialism “cunt” twice, to describe Dakin as “cunt-struck” and Headmaster as “a cunt”. This is the hardest swear in the play and is used show that it wasn’t a slip of the tongue, and to break down stereotypes of women being gentle and passive
“history is women following behind with the bucket” - her big scene about women in history at the end of the play (which is typical for Alan Benett’s plays such as “Kafka’s Dick”) so it would be recent and stay in the audience’s mind when the show ended
Irwin intro as politician in the future "etc., etc." while talking abt freedom- that man gives no fucks about freedom really, just waffling on (first impression for the audience too!!)
Parallel with Holocaust debate- Lockwood uses the SAME EXACT PHRASE while talking abt how the holocaust was bad, (dismissiveness of mass genocide? in this education system? it’s more likely than you think) then goes on to argue that they should be unique with their arguments- Irwin passed on thr mindset even on such an important subject
Hector is set up to be looking cool and all (motorcycle scene dramaticness, greek name connotations, fav teacher) but is absolutely uncool when we get to know him- purposeful? "studied eccentricity" and all. clinging onto youth?
Posner is actually rather helpful as the "dictionary person" bc i doubt the audiences know what "otiose" means
SCRIPPS IS THE MOST RELIGIOUS ONE AND CLOSEST TO POSNER it can dismantle the idea that religion is against queerness
Irwin didnt know how nietzche was pronounced bc from what we know of him he would call Dakin out on that

ok I've just now realized that the title of one of my favourite will wood songs is "Love, Me Normally" and not "Love me, Normally" ???? bro ??? at first I thought he changed it but im probably just stupid
true 🎵i noticed a comma in the middle of a phrase. it changed the meaning, did you intend this?🎵 moment

Disclaimer: I'm not a researcher
So I bought 400+ Japanese stickers and labelled literally everything in my house and office in Japanese (see original post below). I'm working up to N4 and thought it would be a nice easy way to study, which it has been. But I didn't expect my two housemates to pick up much if anything. This post is the results of their two months of exposure for them from absolute zero.
Firstly, it's been hilarious. They will come in and try to start speaking Japanese and I'll have no idea what they are saying but they are super keen and trying to impress.
I've had to guide them on pronuciation because you can't obviously get that from written text very well. But their vocabularies are actually pretty good. They have mostly nouns, but there are some adjectives, prepositions and short phrases they now have too.
I would say that each of them probably have a bank of 50+ words. Whats funny is these are mostly household items like:
鎮痛剤 - painkiller
蛇口 - faucet
唐辛子 - chilli
But they also have things like:
つまらない - boring
電気をつける - turn on the light
I'll check back in after 12 months or so with a follow up if anyone's interested.
My original post:
https://www.reddit.com/LearnJapanese/comments/1bgj8i1/i_have_440_of_these_stuck_all_over_my_apartment/
Edit: had a few DMs asking. Here is the link: https://www.makelanguagestick.com/

There are some word not considered part of English even though most English speakers would understand them if said like hola, sayonara and deja vu.
Other words are consisered English that wouldn't be recognizable to most English speakers, like versimillitude or overmorrow.
I grew up in an English speaking region where people regularly used French/creole phrases like cher, couillon, assis-toi and ti in the middle of otherwise English speech. Are those English words now?
"Onanism" is an "English" word I only ever learned about as the root of the Japanese "onani". I'd venture a Japanese person might understand it more readily than an average modern English speaker would.
As for grammar, consider things like Yodas unusual speech patterns in Yoda. It's not typical English but English speakers still understand him. Same with caveman speak "me want food. You me fight. me win." Not correct English but we know what's being said don't we?
Teachers always said prepositions are incorrect to end a sentence with. But English speakers do it all the time even in formal contexts.

I have been playing around on Stable Diffusion for about two weeks and have had pretty inconsistent results.
I have been trying prompts but not sure how they work. Many examples on Civitia are comma separated lists of phrases.
I have tried both descriptive scenes like in Microsoft’s Copilot, which is where I started.
I have tried the following using several models, but got the best results from DreamShaper 8. Realistic Vision does create more relistic people, but scenes are not as good, or my prompts are just bad.
forest scene at dawn, photorealistic, hunter in camouflage carrying a compound bow, german shepherd slightly behind hunter, they see deer out in the distance, the german shepherd is ready to chase the deer into range
For negative prompts I have used the common suggestions of cgi, 3d, lowres, etc.
I have tried less detailed, more detailed, splitting phrases into small two or three word parts.
While I have gotten some cool scenes few close to what I want. I have also gotten some strange stuff. Such as the hunter carrying an assault rifle, the dog the size if a horse with the hunter riding it. The cgi cartoonish dog in camouflage bad faces.
Is there someplace to look for how to write prompts.

I am hoping to get some advice with this. I recently had my book edited. I have worked with this editor previously and asked them to do another book, as I really liked their edits last time. I felt like this book needed much more editing than the previous one they edited, as it was well over 100k words, and the other was around 60k. It was a line edit for around $1300 but when I got the MS back, there were very few actual line edits, I mean like almost none. The editor told me in email that the book was already very well structured and I had a good grasp on grammar. The only things that seemed to be edited were commas and words that needed hyphens between words. It almost looked like the MS was put into grammarly. There are little to no actual line edits. Less than 10 instances of rearranging phrases.
I did message them and ask if this is typical, and their response was that the book was very clean and needed very little editing, and that it was rare to get a book so clean already. While the compliment is nice, I can't help but wonder if I've been duped. 90% of the MS is comma placement and hyphens. I actually look at edits from the MS I sent and then make corrections in my MAIN document. In about 10 or more instances, I have found commas that were placed in the MS I sent to the editor and then suggested to be deleted, but the comma was not there at all in my main document, which makes me wonder if the editor added the comma only to delete it. This is why I don't accept suggested changes in the document I send, for this reason alone. To make sure things are not added (paranoid, I guess).
What is everyone's thoughts? On one hand, the editor did go through the MS. On the other hand, I paid a lot of money for them to do what grammarly could have done. Many commas were added by the editor, only to be suggested as deleted. It may be worth noting that the editor did ask for extra time to edit (a week), and the book was with them for about a month. I suppose I am just disappointed, and I'm not sure if I should approach them about it, or accept this is the edit.
*Edited to add spacing between paragraphs.
*Edited again to add that, nearing the endish part of the MS, and there is an entire conversation between the characters that was accidentally left in from when I cut a scene that happened earlier in the book. The scene is no longer there, but the characters talk about it as if it happened. These are the kinds of things I needed the editor to catch, and they did not deliver. I am afraid I will have to contact the editor and ask them if this edit can be treated as a proofread instead of a line edit, as they did not do the job they were supposed to.
Thank you to everyone for your advice.

In the following example, I would like to know the function of the prepositional phrase inbetween brackets:
The park is my favorite place to be (with my friends).
Thank you

I am creating a script to help organize and format SEO keywords and categories. I have an excel spreadsheet with Column A containing the actual keyword search phrase input by the customer. I have created a list of keyword variables accounting for multiple variations that the customer entered including plurals or different words that mean the same thing. I have then assigned the matching categories based on each single keyword. I am using StrSplit(cellvalue, " ") to separate each single word from the original phrase. What I need is to compare each of these words with the list of keyword variables and if any of them match, then I need it to log the original keyword search phrase, followed by a comma, then a space, and then the variable which I have assigned to that keyword (which is a group of categories), so the end result for the first one should be "blazer assist step, model, blazer, steps, exterior, assist steps, running boards & steps"
I am not sure how to do this comparison one at a time.
Examples below:
Keyword Search Phrases
blazer assist step blazer assist steps blazer ev assist step blazer ev assist steps blazer ev cover blazer ev emblem blazer ev emblems blazer ev floor liner blazer ev floor liners blazer ev floor mats blazer ev tonneau cover blazer ev tonneau covers blazer floor liner blazer floor liners blazer tonneau cover blazer tonneau covers bolt assist step bolt assist steps
mat mats := "floor mats, interior, mats"
liner liners := "floor liners, interior, liners"
wheel wheels rim rims =: "wheels, exterior, wheel and wheel components"
steps steps := "steps, exterior, assist steps, running boards & steps"
chevy chevrolet =: "chevrolet"
lug inch spoke := "wheel size, wheels, exterior, wheel and wheel components"
silverado := "model, silverado"
cruze := "model, cruze"
tahoe := "model, tahoe"
corvette := "model, corvette"
traverse := "model, traverse"
trailblazer := "model, trailblazer"
trax := "model, trax"
stingray := "model, stingray"
blazer := "model, blazer"
equinox := "model, equinox"
malibu := "model, malibu"
colorado := "model, colorado"
bolt := "model, bolt"
impala := "model, impala"
camaro := "model, camaro"
suburban := "model, suburban"
accessories := "accessories"
2020 2021 2022 2023 2028 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 := "year"
blue red white chrome black yellow green := "color"

I saw the following example from this Duden page of the word Hundert:
das Brüllen Hundertehunderter von verdurstenden Rindern/Hundertehunderter verdurstender Rindevon Hunderten/hunderten [von] verdurstenden Rindern
I am really confused by the way this was presented. So does this mean that all of the following phrases are grammatically correct?

1. das Brüllen Hunderter von verdurstenden Rindern
   
2. das Brüllen hunderter von verdurstenden Rindern
   
3. das Brüllen Hunderter verdurstender Rinder
   
4. das Brüllen hunderter verdurstender Rinder
   
5. das Brüllen von Hunderten von verdurstenden Rindern
   
6. das Brüllen von hunderten von verdurstenden Rindern
   
7. das Brüllen von Hunderten verdurstenden Rindern
   
8. das Brüllen von hunderten verdurstenden Rindern
   

If they are all correct, why do we need the preposition von after Hunderter? Isn't it already in the Genitiv case? Also, why can we write Hunderter as hunderter? Isn't it supposed to be a noun here? Thank you very much for your help！

Understanding Spanish Relative Pronouns: "Que," "Cual," and "Quien"

Relative pronouns in Spanish are essential tools for connecting sentences and giving more information about a noun. Among these, "que," "cual," and "quien" are commonly used, though each serves distinct purposes. Let's break down their usage to help you master them.

1. "Que" (That, Which, Who)

"Que" is the most frequently used relative pronoun in Spanish and can refer to both people and things. It's very versatile and can be used in restrictive relative clauses (which give essential information) and non-restrictive clauses (which provide additional details).
Examples: - El libro que leí es interesante. (The book that I read is interesting.) - La persona que vino ayer es mi hermana. (The person who came yesterday is my sister.)

2. "Quien" (Who, Whom)

"Quien" is used exclusively for people and is often used in non-restrictive clauses, similar to "que" but more formal or specific. It can also be used after prepositions.
Examples: - Mi amigo, quien vive en Madrid, viene a visitarme. (My friend, who lives in Madrid, is coming to visit me.) - La mujer con quien hablé es la profesora. (The woman with whom I spoke is the teacher.)

3. "Cual" (Which, That)

"Cual" is often used in its plural form "cuales" and tends to be more formal. It's commonly preceded by an article and is preferred when there is a choice among multiple options.
Examples: - La opción la cual prefiero es la segunda. (The option which I prefer is the second one.) - Las casas entre las cuales vivo son viejas. (The houses among which I live are old.)

Practice with Pal

Ready to put these relative pronouns into practice? Here's how Pal can help you:

1. Visit: Go to Get-Pal.com/WhatsApp/ to start chatting with Pal.
   
2. Create a Sentence: Think of a sentence using "que," "quien," or "cual." For example:
   
   • El coche que compraste es bonito. (The car that you bought is beautiful.)
   • Mi amigo, quien es médico, trabaja en un hospital. (My friend, who is a doctor, works at a hospital.)
   • La película la cual vimos ayer me gustó mucho. (The movie which we saw yesterday I liked a lot.)
3. Send It to Pal: Message your sentence to Pal on WhatsApp. Pal will correct you if there are any mistakes and will provide the accurate phrasing if needed.
   
4. Continue the Conversation: Don't stop there! Engage in a conversation with Pal to get more practice. If you're unsure about a sentence, ask Pal for help. The more you practice, the more fluent you'll become.
   

Using Pal, you can seamlessly integrate Spanish learning into your daily routine, making language mastery more natural and effective. Happy learning!