Does anybody else find it hard to say goodbye? I'm leaving italki and going travelling around the world forever. Retired now, you see. But it's hard to say goodbye to italki and my students. Who else finds saying goodbye, any sort of goodbye, difficult?

A RETIREMENT JOURNEY.

Bliss!     Retirement soon!    Next year! 

I'm off around the world. My route will be across Europe to Jordan, ship to India - where I'll stay for 6 months or so. Then across China and down through South East Asia, to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. On across the Pacific to South America. A year, perhaps,  there. Then up to Central America, and on to Mexico. 

The aim is to find a country that has very nice beaches, a warm climate, and not too many mosquitos. I may have to go around the world for many years before I decide!

Then I will stay there! (visa permitting!) But where????

WHERE do YOU think is THE BEST PLACE to RETIRE TO?

 

RECOVERY Sorry! I found the answer to my own question... and have deleted the text!!

English spelling. I am English, writing English. Why does italki say my spelling is wrong?

I write things on italki but get RED SQUIGGLY UNDERLINING everywhere. Unfortunately, italki does NOT like the way I spell. It does not FAVOUR my spelling, so adds red COLOUR to it ... aaargghhh! it's done it again.

Maybe when this is published the red underlining will vanish: they will accept that as I am English I can't spell English words. So none of you out there will see all this RED UNDERLINING that I have on this page. I feel like TRAVELLING  (aaargghhh it's done it again) to italki HQ and saying something very rude.

According to italki the only correct spelling is the American way. However, I will continue to LABOUR away, diligently spelling English my English way... and being forever told by italki I am wrong.

Aaaaarggghhhhh!  (this got red underlining too. How do Americans spell a scream of despair?)

Could someone please UPDATE ME? Which is the BEST video link to CHINA? I sometimes have a very weak connection to China on Skype. Google seems blocked. So is QQ good?

I need an AMERICAN opinion!

The subjunctive! 

It is essential he ATTEND/ATTENDS the meeting.

I demand he GO/GOES now!

Most Brits would use either form, and not notice the difference. I suppose if one wanted to sound more formal, one might choose the subjunctive. In an exam one should go with the subjunctive (better safe than sorry!).

I gather that Americans nearly always choose the subjunctive. Now, here in England, if someone chooses the 'incorrect' form in a grammatical structure the user may sound uneducated. I don't want to get into an argument here about regional/colloquial English, and social class - so try not to consider that aspect please!! My question is....  DOES A BRIT WHO SAYS, "IT IS ESSENTIAL HE GOES TO THE MEETING" sound uneducated to an American?

Often we sound a bit quaint and old-fashioned to Americans, I think. Perhaps we often sound 'correct.' But in this case of the subjunctive is it Brits who sound... just plain wrong?

I attach links to feisty discussions on this point:

<a href="https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/76578/why-is-american-english-so-wedded-to-the-subjunctive" style="text-decoration:none;">https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/76578/why-is-american-english-so-wedded-to-the-subjunctive</a>

<a href="http://www.antimoon.com/forum/t16622.htm" style="text-decoration:none;">http://www.antimoon.com/forum/t16622.htm</a> Do Americans ever NOT use the subjunctive?

Please read the sentence that follows in the 'details' section. What construction mix do we have? "If it were me who had found that horrible thing in the swimming pool last year, I wouldn't have come back this year!" (This is a polite adaptation of a line from a sit-com) The 3rd conditional version would be: If it had been me..... , I wouldn't have come back. Or the more formal, Had it been me ... I wouldn't have come back. The more circuitous 2nd conditional start (If it WERE me...) seems a little superfluous, but I do say it this way myself, sometimes. I'm not sure that the 2nd conditional start is valid for something that actually happened in the past (or, did NOT happen). It's a hypothetical IF, but about a real event in the past. Thus normally the 3rd conditional would be appropriate. It's not the same as "If I were rich, I would buy a palace." This is truly hypothetical, with no particular time reference. "If it WERE me who HAD BEEN there....." to me seems at times grammatically incorrect, and at others perfectly ok! I would like some truly high-powered input on this.I also am not sure if the 'who had found that horrible thing in the swimming pool last year' is actually functioning as a defining clause. Yes, I suppose it is, but take it out and the sentence makes perfect sense, and the speaker and listener know exactly who they are talking about. To me it's got the structure of a non-defining clause (stick it between two commas and remove it if you like) but much of the function of a defining clause (even if it not actually needed - and therefore would not be defining). Thoughts please. I have a C2 student of true native-speaker level and we spend hours arguing the toss over matters such as this. Any input would be most welcome!

I've been working on italki for 142 years. Can you beat that? The new beta testing site is throwing up the usual teething problems. On my profile ON THE BETA site I show as working as a teacher for italki for 142 years ! (2013 - 2155) Can anybody beat that?

The meaning of QUITE. Hello Everybody! My proficiency student (C2-) and I were discussing the use of 'quite.' In the UK we use 'quite' in 2 very different ways: VERY/TOTALLY/COMPLETELY or FAIRLY/SOMEWHAT/ a bit! Doctor to police officer. "He's quite dead, I assure you. Been dead a week, I'd say." Police office to doctor. "A week? That's quite a long time." Obviously they mean quite (very!) different things. Maths teacher to child who has added 2 + 2 and got 4. "Well done. You're quite right." The teacher means that the child is exactly right, not that he's a bit correct! So now my question... or rather, REQUEST. Please can you check the following website on the differences in usage of 'quite' in the UK and the USA. As far as I am concerned the UK has both uses, always has, and always will. I am mystified by this author's statement that there is only one use in the UK (quite=fairly), and in the USA (quite=very). http://www.writing-skills.com/ten-differences-between-uk-and-us-english/ Comments, please.What do you Americans make of.... I quite like pizza with banana sauce. Like it a lot? Like it a bit? To me it can mean either, depending on how I say it.