Chan-Ho Suh

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bio	website	chanhosuh.com
	location	California
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I don't regard myself as particularly interested in English language and usage, but it is undeniable that I've often discussed them with friends, even to the point beyond what is socially acceptable. So here I am.

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Native fluency in American English
Descriptivist

	181 reputation	bio	website	chanhosuh.com	visits	member for	1 year
9 badges		location	California		seen	Jun 4 at 16:44

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Aug 19	comment	Should I say “have a good night” at 5:00 PM? @Tim I agree. "Have a good night" is decidedly more formal.
Aug 19	comment	What are some uncommon but valid portmanteau words that people use? The OP asked for "uncommon" examples. Televangelist, soundscape, napalm, alphanumeric, sysop, smog, pixel, sitcom, newscast... (and more if I took a closer look) are common examples.
Aug 19	comment	What does “Drop and give me twenty, America’ in ‘Paul Ryan’s song of himself’ mean? @J.R. thanks for the comment. I didn't see it when revising my answer, but I think I've incorporated a bit of what you said.
Aug 19	comment	“Comparing” vs “A comparison of ” Neither of the claims "a gerund is a verbal noun" and "a verbal noun is a noun" require me to show every noun is a verbal noun. The first claim just means that 'gerund' belongs to the group 'verbal noun' and the second claim just means that 'verbal noun' belongs to the group 'noun'. Together they imply that 'gerund' belongs to the group 'noun'. This does not mean gerunds and nouns are the same thing. In particular, this does not mean a given noun such as 'car' is a gerund. Neither can you conclude that 'car' is a verbal noun.
Aug 19	comment	Do I need a comma after “when in (%time)”? @terdon According to Larry Trask's Guide to Punctuation, the kind of commas under discussion ("bracketing commas") are for "weak interruptions", and "In many cases a weak interruption does not absolutely require bracketing commas."
Aug 19	comment	“Comparing” vs “A comparison of ” You should explain what about your link suggests a gerund is not a noun. Believe it or not, I did read it before. I suspect you think that a noun cannot have verbal properties, but that's nowhere in the definition of a noun.
Aug 19	comment	“Comparing” vs “A comparison of ” @RoaringFish Thanks for the lesson on the elephant. If you say "a gerund is a verbal noun" and "a verbal noun is a noun...", then that means a gerund is a noun. Also, just because a verbal noun is different from other kinds of nouns does not mean it is not a noun (incidentally, it's a bit ironic that you say "other nouns").
Aug 19	comment	What exactly does the phrase “pass a week” mean? @Jim that's a good point, but I don't know anybody (I think) that would respond "I passed a week" in that situation.
Aug 19	comment	What is the correct form of address for a police officer? If you're going to do that in the US, at least fake an English accent.
Aug 19	comment	What is the correct form of address for a police officer? @raxacoricofallapatorius You might not be doing anything wrong, and even if you were, you might not be aware of what it could be. But I doubt it's because you used "officer" to address a police officer.
Aug 18	comment	What is a word in English that means “able to learn new things quickly”? I think only in certain contexts would those words be acceptable for "able to learn new things quickly". For example, someone that was quickly able to learn how to garden or take care of the elderly wouldn't usually be called "clever" but a "fast learner".
Aug 18	comment	“Comparing” vs “A comparison of ” @RoaringFish The rest of the sentence is irrelevant. The sentence states a verbal noun is a noun. A noun formed in a certain way, certainly, but a noun nonetheless. Or do you believe that a sentence of the form "X is a Y formed from ..." means X is not a Y?
Aug 18	comment	What exactly does the phrase “pass a week” mean? Ambrose Bierce wrote at the end of the 19th century. It's not suprising he would use now-outdated language.
Aug 18	comment	Difference between “commit suicide” and “suicide” I suspect you are restricting to a certain class of people. I hear suicide much more than commit suicide and am skeptical about the danger of confusion. If it's common among high-schoolers, I'd say it's a natural construction and a lot of people do it (and the OP's query supports this).
Aug 18	comment	How do native English speakers respond to “Thank you”? In that vein, "sure" or "sure thing".
Aug 18	comment	How do native English speakers respond to “Thank you”? I have a suspicion you are saying "thank you" too profusely (as compared to Americans). If you thank Americans in situations where they aren't necessarily expecting thanks, you will get an "uh-huh". Such situations include holding doors open.
Aug 18	comment	How do native English speakers respond to “Thank you”? +1 for mentioning "thank you" as a possible response to "thank you" and also mentioning that sometimes you don't need to respond directly.
Aug 18	comment	How do native English speakers respond to “Thank you”? @NeilFein I assume "See you next week" would be said with a smile in the example dialogue above.
Aug 18	comment	Do I need a comma after “when in (%time)”? The phrase "in 1914" is short enough that it doesn't need commas.
Aug 18	comment	“Comparing” vs “A comparison of ” Yet your link to Wikipedia starts out with "In linguistics, a verbal noun is a noun...."