There is wind where the rose was,
Cold rain where sweet grass was,
And clouds like sheep
Stream o'er the steep
Grey skies where the lark was.

Nought warm where your hand was,
Nought gold where your hair was,
But phantom, forlorn,
Beneath the thorn,
Your ghost where your face was.

Cold wind where your voice was,
Tears, tears where my heart was,
And ever with me,
Child, ever with me,
Silence where hope was.

November by Walter de la Mare

When you first apply to join the forum, you will have to wait a while to be approved. Just be patient.

Once you are a member, don't forget to check the calendar(s) for session times. Sessions are held on different platforms, so be sure to find out where the session will take place:-

Speaking Practice

LEN English sessions:-

Listening Practice 24/7

English radio playlists on Discord.

Best Of

Re: Monday Night Owls - 11 November 2019 - Why you should invent new words

I agree with @Sarraf .
People should be able to suggest new words if they are relevant to something that is known and used in the general public.
However, it will be very confusing for other people, especially for language learners, when everybody just adds any word with any meaning they want to a dictionary.
One word could have thousand meanings, the one is just the opposite of the other, which one should we believe then?
Even now, one English word can have a lot of meanings in the Cambridge or Oxford Dictionary, let alone if anybody would give their own interpretation and is allowed to add it online.
Doesn't @NatashaT or @Teach frequently say " this is a word that has different meanings"?

Maybe there is one advantage; I could create any word in Scrabble. I'd just say: "I've just added that word into the dictionary".
And do you think that the creator of that word also has a copyright for his word?

april

Re: Monday Night Owls - 11 November 2019 - Why you should invent new words

I'm not against the idea of adding new words to the dictionary. Especially with the advances in technology and sciences entering into everyday life, it is inevitable for us to face new situations that may require using new words. But I think the process of making new words should be carried out by the experts not everyone.
Of course, I'm taking into account the difficulties that adding new words to a language would cause for someone like me who's trying to learn the language. ;)

Sarraf

Marianne's Tuesday 8am 5 November session: Risk intelligence - not all gamblers are fools

Following on from our discussion on luck, this is an interesting TED talk on expert gamblers. Surely gambling is just a matter of luck?

What Can We Learn From Expert Gamblers?: Dylan Evans

The thrill of playing is why most people gamble, but not for the expert gamblers. For them it is the intellectual satisfaction.

According to the experts gambling experience, there are 3 steps in which you can improve your decision-making skills. By understanding your limits, you can decide whether or not to take a risk on something. Your bet must correspond to your confidence. If you doubt your estimates, then it would be better to make small safe bets.

* Know Your Limit in Percentages
* Measure Betting Amount Proportionate to Confidence
* Anticipate Your Win or Loss

The speakers suggests we are all gamblers at heart. Most of us take a gamble every day. Some people do things that are risky even though they are aware of the consequences that their actions may have on the environment, their finances or even life-endangering activities.

Could you name another industry that is closely related to gambling and taking risks? (Comments below please....)

He quotes Clint Eastwood who plays in The Rookie: 'If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster.'

mheredge

Monday Night Owls - 21 October 2019 - The economic potential of an aging population

We read an article which looked at the potential economic benefits that an aging population could cause:

Vocabulary Top 10:

plummeting - to fall or drop suddenly in amount, value, etc

untapped - available but not used

poised - ready or prepared for something

hover - to stay near a specified point or level

silver economy - the system of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services aimed at using the purchasing potential of older and ageing people and satisfying their consumption, living and health needs

healthspan - the part of a person’s life during which they are generally in good health

longevity - long life : the fact of living for many years; length of life

detrimental - causing damage or injury

stifle - to make (something) difficult or impossible; to stop (someone) from doing or expressing something

pedestrian - a person who is walking in a city, along a road, etc.

Do you think the aging population will have a positive or negative effect on economies around the world?
What could some of the opportunities be?

@VictorJosé @taghried @Shiny03 @aza @Rema @Alexandra @rei @Manar

NatashaT

Poem

Hi, Sun Hi, Sun give me power to rise again,
Hi, Sun Hi, Sun give me strength to shine again.
You are the source of life for us,
You are the origin of universe,
Give me your stillness to blossom me again.

bfluentmanish

Tuesday Night Owls - 15 October 2019 - Why the US has so many days celebrating different things

We read an article about why every day seems to be a new 'national x day' in the US, and how you can create a new national day:

Vocabulary Top 10:

blanket - to cover (something)

rodent - a small animal (such as a mouse, rat, squirrel, or beaver) that has sharp front teeth

rebuke - to speak in an angry and critical way to (someone)

coax - to influence or persuade (a person or animal) to do something by talking in a gentle and friendly way

surplus - an amount (such as an amount of money) that is more than the amount that is needed

pitch - things that are said by someone (such as a salesman) in order to make someone want to buy, do, or accept something

farce - something that is so bad that it is seen as ridiculous

glitch - an unexpected and usually minor problem

jarring - to have a harsh or unpleasant effect on someone or something

redundancies - a word, phrase, etc., that repeats something else and is therefore unnecessary : a redundant word, phrase, etc.

Do you also have these types of celebratory days in your country?
If you could create a new day, what would it be for?

@Shiny03 @VictorJosé @filauzio @april @Manar @aza @Abdul_Wahid @Diakha

NatashaT

Re: Tuesday Night Owls - 8 October 2019 - The importance of libraries

In Pakistan I used to go to libraries, but not now.

I think the importance of libraries has reduced with the advancement of technology and the internet.

@Abdul_Wahid

Teach

Re: Tuesday Night Owls - 8 October 2019 - The importance of libraries

A long-time ago, when I was a child, libraries were quiet places; they were the place to do research and get together with classmates to do project work as requested by the teacher at school.

Nowadays it seems that the public library is a community hub, and even more than that, as we learnt in the first article mentioned, libraries are a refuge where the homeless can find shelter, company, to rest and use the bathroom. It´s a place where anyone who suffers from loneliness, depression, etc. can meet new people, talk about different subjects, learn about things, and/or connect with each other, and all whilst improving digital inclusion. I really liked the definition that I read, “Bad libraries build collections, good libraries build services, great libraries build communities.”

@VictorJosé

Teach