so I guess set has many meanings

set is where a movie is filmed..."quiet on the SET"

rod03801: Thanks. So basically they're more or less the same thing.

King Reza: Like so much else in English, it can be used different ways. My personal opinion is that both are the same, in your original post. If someone said the movie takes place in NYC but the set is in LA, it would be saying that the story itself is set(verb)in NYC, but the movie set(noun) is in LA.

Bwild: I guess the difference is obvious now, except, I think it must be the reverse. Otherwise the sentence in my book "It's a new action movie that is set in ancient China. Michelle Yeoh is in it." would be meaningless as there's no ancient China today to film the movie there.

Pedro Martínez: Thanks for the reply. I've seen both sentences in a book and from the context, I'd say there's difference in meaning as the book is teaching verbs used when people talk about movies. But I can't figure out what it is.

Here's what the book says ( there are two ads for two movies) :

1) It's a tragedy that takes place in Delhi, so it's in Hindi, but it's subtitled.

2) It's a new action movie that is set in ancient China. Michelle Yeoh is in it.

I'd appreciate a few more comments.

Pedro Martínez: tell that to Hollywood
"set" would be where a movie is actually filmed. "taking place" would be where the movies story line occurred.

King Reza: I would certainly write “the movie is set in China,” but as far as the meaning is concerned, I think there is no difference at all.

Hi. Is there any difference between a movie's being set in China and it's taking place in China?

Bwild: The United States.

That's the original name, though the "The" and the "United" are not capitalized with number of states listed.

http://archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_zoom_2.html

It was "the thirteen united States of America"

Walter Montego: do you live in United States, or the United States?

Walter Montego: I think that in the US, a double room is a room with two double beds, while in the UK it is a room with one double bed.

The reason why I was asking: I was told that the omission of “a” in such sentences is "one of those strange and commonly accepted uses of articles." Now that I've read your responses, it doesn't seem that it really is such a commonly accepted use. :) Thank you all.

Pedro Martínez: Is a double room one that has two beds? Or is it something else? I've re-read your sentence with and without the "a". Both ways seem OK to me, almost like it doesn't matter.

I think I am used to hearing a room with two beds just called a "double". The word "room" is what is strange to me in your sentence. A single has one bed, a double has two, and then there's the possibility of having a rollaway brought in for more sleeping space. More than one room is often called a "suite", whether or not there's any more beds in it.

Bwild:

England and the United States

Two countries separated by a common language? :)

Here's one I hear a lot and it concerns Czech Republic. The very use of "the" when one says Czech Republic! I usually just say Czech Republic, but it seems I am the only that says that. Everyone else I know always says 'The Czech Republic". Ukraine gets the "The" too. England doesn't. Hardly any other countries in Europe get the "The". The Netherlands is one that does. I wonder how this came about?

Around here we use "the" in ways that people from the East Coast don't, especially when talking about freeways. Interstate 5 is the most common example. It is often called "The 5". Other roads get this same treatment, The 22, The 405, The 55, The Orange Crush, The Four Level. Even bureaucracies get this. The Department of Motor Vehicles is called "The DMV" for short. I have heard a few people just say "DMV", but it's not very common compared to putting the "The" in front. I live in Southern California, so maybe we talk a different version of American English? :)

Pedro Martínez: Sure thing, though I am not sure as to what a double room is! When I say something is with something, but not a specific thing, I always use "a". English has the two articles. "the" and "a", definite and indefinite, respectively. Your sentence sounds strange to me to just say, "double room with shower" as compared to "double room with a shower". This has me reflecting on the fact that using the indefinite article in this manner makes it very definite in the fact that it implies just one shower for the double room! :) It seems it might be better to say "double room with one shower" or "a double room with one shower" or even "a double room with shower" implying the accommodation just has one shower even though the room is double sized in other respects.

It's a trip that using the definite article to describe just having one shower doesn't seem right at all to me. I'm going to have to see if there's other instances of this. Perhaps it is a common thing and until your question I had not given it any thought.
"double room with the shower"

Pedro Martínez: a, seems to be a little more descriptive...yet I am always amazed at English English. lol

Carl: Thank you.
Can please anyone else comment on this? I would like to have two opinions at least. :)

Pedro Martínez: To me the sentence looks more correct without the"a".

In an average hotel, a double room with ??? shower costs 80 pounds a night.

Should there be "a" before "shower" in the above sentence?

Bluefin: It is Czech or Slovak and if it was written to you in a game as a single word, it probably means "at last." Other meanings are "ultimately" or "eventually."

Bluefin: I googled it and come up with "Final" in Czech.. But that doesn't mean it's correct. LOL

Can anyone tell me what konecne means ? And what language it is ? Thanks.

Bwild: These are great examples. I suppose the usage is the key to it, eh? I took the hard way to show it! :)

Bwild: I see. Thank you.

Pedro Martínez: "they hid in the shadow of the tree"
"they rested in the shade of the tree"

awesome, Walter Montego: Thank you so much for your inputs. I was unsure about the use of the two words; in Czech there is only one expression for both of them. It's much clearer now.

awesome: I'm with "awesome" on this. I think of shade as a collection of shadows or as something used to get out of the sun. A shadow caused by a light or the moon is a little different. A shadow to me is primarily about the thing causing it. Also, a shadow is something that isn't normally thought for using as shade. When a shadow is used for shade it is often a temporary or unusual event. As using a tractor-trailer rig's shadow on the freeway to shade your vehicle or when someone happens to block the sun with their shadow giving you some shade.

Pedro Martínez: I always greatly prefer to use or hear "in the shade of the tree"....yes, the "shadow of the tree" caused the shade but just doesn't sound like something I've ever heard or used...

Bwild: Could you please elaborate on that?

Pedro Martínez: depends on the application.

What sounds better to the ear of a native speaker of the English language?

"in the shade of the tree" or "in the shadow of the tree"

À couple of hills from here there is the city called Thun. The word arises from the celtic era and the german word Zaun (fence), and town are related to it.

pauloaguia: No. Osservare bella Russia

gogul: On Google Maps names are usually represented in their native language. Check China, for instance
As far as I can remember, it has always been like that...

I just started RandomFritz 157.26'264.002673 and it told me that on googlemaps the Russian names are Russian. Has that allways been so?

AlliumCepa: Thanks, that's a vey usefull extension
Good to see that the most people here have good intensions and....well, let it go

PaoloRus: Great post, very precise. Thank you.

PaoloRus:

SPECTACULAR
[spek'tækʃulə]

Ваша версия:

In Russian:
1. громадный, грандиозный, импозантный, эффектный, пышный
2. драматичный, волнующий, поразительный

google.com: + захватывающий
yandex.ru: + производящий глубокое впечатление
PaoloRus: + трогательный

AlliumCepa: I can see pedro's concern, as once I was given a translation that got me in trouble and offended a very nice person.
however .. I see no harm in folks trying to honestly help one another, and I'm sure its been everyones intent to do so.

I believe he asked him to "lighten" up, which is American for relax... take it easy, take a chill pill, no sense sweating the small stuff, life is short.... good advice for all, including me

Bwild: LOL! You ask him to "listen up"?! The moderator who believes a discussion board is not a place where people should be nice to each other? You are talking to a person who wants to change the meaning of the word "discussion" (an exchange of views on some topic) with his version of a one-way guide.
Truth --> http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/927.html

lighten up pedro.

AlliumCepa: I believe the purpose of this forum is not to "be nice" to each other. Yes, we can keep thanking each other for nothing here and smile at each other and be satisfied even with incorrect and incomplete answers. But that is not the course I am willing to take. I would like this forum to provide as accurate answers as possible. Now in the case of Bwild's "spectacular", I asked him to provide more details about the context, since without the context, it is impossible to translate the word correctly.

In general, I would like to ask only those people who are familiar with the languages in question to provide answers here because otherwise their answers only lead to confusion and misunderstandings.

Pedro Martínez: Dude, you are continuing to behave badly. The man himself thanked me. And I am not sure about SOME of the words - those that are in brackets. The rest are fine.
FYI, the words in ANY known dictionary are listed from their closest meaning to those that are far from the original. And yes, I do know what I talk about.
Shame on you - you are supposed to be a moderator here and take absolutely different course of talks.
PS: Talking about useless posts - read yours.

Over and Out.

AlliumCepa: thank you.

AlliumCepa: Again, a completely useless post. Now what exactly do you expect Bwild to do with your list of words, of which you're not even sure if they are Russian? Trying to help is fine, but if you don't know what you're talking about, your help is actually the opposite of help.

Bwild: Since Bulgarian and Russian are very close languages, I can give you what my dictionary gives for "spectacular" and then will translate every item.

SPECTACULAR
[spek'tækʃulə]

I. 1. грамаден, грандиозен, импозантен, ефектен, пищен
2. драматичен, вълнуващ, поразителен
-------------------------
In Russian:
I. 1. грамадный, грандиозный, (not sure the Russian word), эффектный, (not sure)
2. драматичний, волнующий, поразительний
================================
Gouwe gozer: If you miss some letters on your keyboard, you can use the built-in Character map (Start MenuProgramsAccessoriesSystem Tools) = Run "charmap.exe"
OR
if you are using Firefox, there is a neat extension called abcTajpu.
================================
Pedro Martínez: Please don't be rude. People are trying to help each other. Nobody is perfect.

Pedro Martínez: Thanks, this is a more constructive answer as before.

Gouwe gozer: Well, if you really want to help somebody with a translation, you need somewhat more extensive knowledge of both source and target languages than just the knowledge of finding a word in a dictionary. If Bwild meant a game, you cannot use "эффектный" to refer to a game, because "game" is a feminine word in Russian, while "эффектный" is a masculine adjective. As for the word "впечатляющих", I'm wondering why you are suggesting an adjective in a plural number when you say that Bwild is talking about "a game".