Wtf? Several means more than two but not many.
No, thatās a few. Indeterminate numbers from smaller to larger: couple (usually 2, possibly 3), few (about 3 or 4, possibly 5), several (around the 5ish to 8ish range), many.
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Not where I am in the US, it isnāt.
āSeveralā for us is 3 to 5 at the most.
Here:
ācoupleā = 2-3
āfewā = 3-5
āseveralā also =3-5
In this area of the US at least, I cannot think of a word referring to 5-8 of anything.
Several, by its sound, brings āsevenā to mind.
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[quote=āChrisā]No, thatās a few. Indeterminate numbers from smaller to larger: couple (usually 2, possibly 3), few (about 3 or 4, possibly 5), several (around the 5ish to 8ish range), many.
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I think this is some error you have carried over from your youth.
In language, as in democracy, the majority rules, so while a dictionary may say it means one thing, the important thing is how we use it.
A couple has never meant anything more than a pair: 2 things together or joined together. A couple of weeks has never meant 3 weeks. A coupling has never joined 3 things together and I never see 3 people walking down the street as a couple: That is a MĆ©nage Ć trois.
A couple of days could see two spilling over into three. āI have a couple of dollarsā doesnāt necessarily mean āI have exactly $2.00ā. It means two or theteabouts.
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Add to the above postā¦ if you see a couple walkning down the street, thatās not the wordās āindeterminate numberā usage.
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Yeah, OK. But similarly a couple of dollars could mean $1.87, so it could mean 1-2 as well as 2-3. In colloquial terms it is usually used to give an abstract idea of an amount. I always say Iāll call someone back in 5 minutes, but in reality it could be up to 20. The people expecting a call back donāt set their watch to be ready to pick up in exactly 5 minutes - itās just an idea.
Itās finally here. Barbarian at the Gate: From the American Suburbs to the Taiwanese Army is a beautifully written account of T.C. Lockeās time in the ROC armed forces. Itās available now in e-book format for a variety of platforms, including Kindle, iBooks, Windows, OS X, and many more.
While covering the same events as his earlier Mandarin book Taiwan Mantou, Barbarian at the Gate is a completely new book rather than a translation, and not only entertainingly chronicles the authorās journey from suburban American kid to ROC soldier, but also gives the reader an insight into the hidden world of the life of a conscript in one of the worldās largest militaries.
[quote]āIād like to renounce my American citizenship.ā
No heads turned, no conversations stopped in the wood-paneled office that represented the United Statesā interests in Hong Kong. The soothing background music wasnāt cut off. No cautions were forthcoming, no warnings, no efforts to talk me out of such a rash decision. The woman behind the counter simply nodded at my request, as if Iād just asked for some water, and handed over a couple of innocuous-looking forms. āRead this and sign here,ā she said.
Iād chosen to commit this extraordinary act in Hong Kong because I was familiar with it, having stayed there when I was working in China in 1993, just a year before. Not to mention the fact that the pseudo-embassy in Taipei did not have the authority to process such matters; Taiwan, the nation for which Iād decided to discard my internationally coveted U.S. passport, wasnāt even recognized by most of the world, including the United Nations.
As I was thinking this, a brief, sharp panic gripped me. The pen in my hand felt heavy, like the handle of an airplane hatch mid-flight, and the enormity of my decision momentarily held me in its sway, every potential version of my future shouting back at me through space and time, vying for my attention. I had to forcibly remind myself that Iād arrived at this decision through a long process of considering my options; Iād considered what might happen if I left this course and returned to the United States, what kind of life I might live, what regrets I might harbor, and what might replace the country I was abandoning.[/quote]
Until 18 May you can buy your copy for a special introductory price of NT195 (US$6.49) from our website or from Amazon.
Ooh, i return from tibet and hong kong on the 18th. Looking fotward to this book.
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Iāve been waiting to read the English version for yearsā¦yay!
Excuse my tech ignorance, but I donāt have an e-reader like a Kindle, and Iād rather not sit at my PC to read. I just bought a brand new smartphone (Samsung Galaxy Mega) and was wondering if I could read it on that. Is there a special app I need to be able to read this book on my phone? Thanks for anyoneās help on this.
If you have access to Google Play you can download Aldiko, and load the ePub version (the file is called Barbarian-at-the-Gate-FOR-OTHER-E-READERS.epub) into that app. Should work a treat!
I bought it last night and Iām enjoying reading it, but on my linux/PC using E-Book Reader, the text appears as centered despite the default settings of the reader which is justified. Just letting you know.
Yes, it worked. Thanks!
I already bought it, and I have the Kindle app so I will use that one to download it. In case it does not work right, then I have this other option. Thanks.
[quote=āSteve4nLanguageā]Iāve been waiting to read the English version for yearsā¦yay!
Excuse my tech ignorance, but I donāt have an e-reader like a Kindle, and Iād rather not sit at my PC to read. I just bought a brand new smartphone (Samsung Galaxy Mega) and was wondering if I could read it on that. Is there a special app I need to be able to read this book on my phone? Thanks for anyoneās help on this.[/quote]
You should also get the Kindle app as you can then buy ebooks from Amazon.
Sorry to say, but yes, going through Kindle app is much easier. Had to perform some feats with the Padfone to get the book where wanted using the other application.
Thanks, not seeing that issue on my test set-ups, but Iāll install a Linux partition tomorrow and see whatās up.