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BevVincent

Hedda Gabler said: go

Did you know there is a Royal Order of Adjectives?

“This rule dictates the specific order in which adjectives should be arranged in a sentence, and native speakers follow it instinctively without being taught."
The order is: quantity, opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin/ material, and qualifier

For example: A lovely small old square brown French leather handbag.”

I did not know this and is probably why I’m not an author. (Along with that whole talent chestnut).

 I play with words and their sounds. Drive straight into the storm of what’s expected of them. 

Hmmm. Could be why I make little to middlin’ sense.

I was just talking about this with my Japanese supervisor. It’s something we know intuitively without thinking about it but is hard to convey to a non-native speaker.  A big blue car and not a blue big car. 

Hedda Gabler

BevVincent said:

Hedda Gabler said:

How is your Duolingo going, Bev?

I’m close to moving into section 6.  It is still hard for me to follow a fast conversation. Reading it is much more my strong suit. Speaking? Fuhgeddaboutit!  

353 day streak intact! Writing -- or rather, spelling -- is the tough part for me.

So, you made it a year? Congrats! Did Duo give you anything great? I’m fast approaching my year date, I’m hoping for some good perks. 

BevVincent

Today was my 1 year. I think I got a special sticker or something!

Hedda Gabler

A sticker? 🤦🏼‍♀️

Hedda Gabler

I made 1 year a few days ago in Duolingo. I am disappointed that Duo did not throw me some huge, madre fucking fiesta. 

GNTLGNT

Hedda Gabler said:

I made 1 year a few days ago in Duolingo. I am disappointed that Duo did not throw me some huge, madre fucking fiesta. 

Hedda Gabler

Brian Keene is starting up Keeneversations, a podcast only available to Patreon. This is such a bummer. While I totally get it, the man needs and should be paid for his time and production, I won’t get to partake. 

But, a good alternative is his old Horror Show episodes  on YouTube and they are so full of interesting stuff. Outdated now, but still fascinating to hear real talk, real exposure of news items affecting writers and publishing at that time. Some crazy shit behind the scenes I wish I had been privy to at the time. 

I hope his new show continues to call out injustice, naming names. Guiding unsuspecting newbie authors through these treacherous times.  Great interviews too. 

Check it out if you’re interested. 

Hedda Gabler

Graham Norton and Maria McErlane have dropped a new podcast called Wanging On. Only a couple episodes it’s that new. 

I watch it on youtube because most of the fun of Graham is his facial reactions.  He makes me laugh and Maria, who I don’t know anything about, is pretty funny too. 

Hedda Gabler

Okay. Ignore this. All the same stuff I said about Duolingo, just wrote it up cleaner.

I completed the Duolingo Spanish course. It took me 657 days. The first two weeks, I was on the free plan to see if I could commit. After being generously added to my son’s family plan, I had a 643 day streak. Every day for 643 days, I practiced Spanish. 

Can I speak Spanish? Not really. 

Can I understand when Spanish is spoken? Depends. A slow clear speaker? — yes. I am confident I would get the gist (jist?) of what is being talked about. 

Can I read Spanish? Yes. This is my strongest area. I studied roughly 6343 words. I do not remember all of them, but again, context clues of what I’m reading, I would do okay.

Can I write Spanish? I’ll let you decide: te ti lo perro gato comer estas leche baño tengo? (for those not wanting to bother, that’s a pretty definitive fuck no.) 

Was it worth it? Absolutely.  If interested, pay for it. The free plan sucks. It’s frustrating and discouraging. 

The last 7 years, I needed many creative outlets to survive. Duolingo was one of those things that kept one foot moving in front of the other. As has the Keenedom been for me, along with Bev Vincent Messageboard, these patient pieces of real estate. Thank you. 
Sometimes people don’t realize the good they do for a total stranger or a loved one. 

Ultimately, there was no fanfare for crossing the finish line. Nobody shouting or waving banners acknowledging my achievement. Duolingo did not pat me on the back in front of the thousands of language learners so I could wave and blow kisses. 

I will continue daily practice and as God is my witness, I will keep getting way too close to native speakers so I can eavesdrop on every Spanish speaking conversation in my vicinity. 

That’s right. I’ll know everything about your rash when you seek guidance from the pharmacist. 

Hedda Gabler

Oh my god. Graham Norton’s podcast is hilarious BUT watch it on YouTube!  This week’s episode, I was dying just watching him.