Not sure what the problem is. People enjoy helping. Sure, lily could learn to use online resources, which would help her in the future, but these forums for specific language are not extremely active, so it's not like she's crowding them. Any one explanation may be more helpful than others, so lily has several to choose from: if one is confusing, she can turn to another one.

@,

why should there be a problem? I don't see one. You've mentioned several points, but I guess it'll be a broad philosophical TL;DR If I go to answer them all.

In short, I do what I think is right thing to do and criticize things that I consider absurd, pointless and so on.

It's the world of plural "truths" and if one doesn't make an effort to express and promote their point/truth at least sometimes, they're gonna find themselves in the world they don't like. So that's my general take on life. Here on the forum, I think, it is more valuable to say to Lily what I've said than pretending that there's nothing out there to check a vocabulary term or a phrase and we're still living in the 00-x.

I probably wouldn't say that if this was some general forum out there, where users help each other psychologically, where one asks something trivial and others come and feel themselves needed and helpful.

S.I. has a made a very good point.

Most unfortunately, lilyyang has been posting here for years and years using the same flawed material which is full of errors, misspellings, mistranslations, or even subtitles that appear not reflect the dialogue,

I advised lilyyang about 3 years ago to move on to other sources of material or to complement this with other sources of learning - to no avail.

Here's an example from just over two years ago: https://www.lingq.com/en/community/forum/open-forum-in-english/you-dont-have?post_id=285519

At least "all the same" is entirely correct.

Interesting that lilyyang is being referred to as female - I always assumed lilyyang was male - not too sure why.

I usually resorted to the Merriam-Webster dictionary and encyclopedia for reference before the internet era mass-scaled digitalization on the internet. However, nothing replaces personal interaction with others in language learning.

The other day, I had a little trouble wrapping my head around a quote from the Wednesday Addams family show on Netflix; "I find social media to be a soul-sucking void of meaningless affirmation." I kept thinking "void of," as in "completely lacking," and "meaningless," should have been "meaningful." So I read it to be, "I find social media to be soul-sucking void of meaningful affirmation." Finally, I sorted out that the little detail lies in the trivial English article "a." How hilarious! Sometimes it's more about engaging oneself in learning by asking questions and finding out the nuance, subtlety, and different shades of meaning in words than a standard definition you can find from any resources or sample sentences that use other interchangeable terms. How about other similar but unreplaceable words with different usages?

I hope people will not refrain from asking questions because of the omnipresence of googleable factual information or the habit of stipulating that there's nothing new under the sun. There's no such thing as a stupid question, even less so being a silly person asking a question in doubt.

One problem is our assumption about the language level of the audience or audiences in question. I am sure other users can benefit from the discussion as well. Another problem is the thought that every same or similar circumstance applies to others because of what we have experienced. I will undoubtedly find myself at the end of my wits of having to explain how to make a toaster from scratch to an indigene from an imaginary realm governed by different physical laws or elucidate how human emotions work for Data to process without the slightest doubt.

What's your take on the following question?

So the early bird gets the worms from a can that someone opens up?

One googleable conclusion is not to be an early worm.

@Ilearner,

nothing replaces personal interaction with others in language learning.

I don't see much of interaction from Lily's side at least. She asks for answers and takes them as they are. And they are, btw, just like google gives you in 0.43 of a second.

The "a void of" example of yours is something that is worth asking, I agree.

There's no such thing as a stupid question, even less so being a silly person asking a question in doubt.

What makes you think that there isn't such thing as a stupid question? It's kind of a strech. I guess it's again about desire for being nice and looking helpful over the desire to help substantially, like teaching a man to fish.

Another problem is the thought that every same or similar circumstance applies to others because of what we have experienced.

Well, at least we all here have google. But, maybe I wrong.

I will undoubtedly find myself at the end of my wits of having to explain how to make a toaster from scratch to an indigene from an imaginary realm governed by different physical laws or elucidate how human emotions work for Data to process without the slightest doubt.

Ok, now I get it. You mean a hyphotetical alien Lily from a hypothetical extraterrestrial Taiwan that isn't the world technological hub of micro-chip production and is only connected to LingQ Open Forum. This makes sense.

So the early bird gets the worms from a can that someone opens up?

Honestly, I don't know how this proverd applies to the context.

@S.I

I don't see much of interaction from Lily's side at least. She asks for answers and takes them as they are. And they are, btw, just like google gives you in 0.43 of a second.

I agree with the well-known "fish" analogy that you have brought up. Lily's lack of deeper engagement or valuable contribution could be a problem for herself or others. If we google "concern" as a noun, other similar words such as "perturbation," "disquietude," "agitation," "consternation," and "distress" would show up as a reference. Sometimes a direct translation, definition, or example sentence does not save the learner from confusion. We do receive distress calls but not others, right? In that case, an explanation similar to the one given by Gmeyer at OP's language level would be much appreciated. One question I would ask is the attitude or intention of the speakers toward the listener in their tone, besides other essential elements in the language, such as the concept of the register.

What makes you think that there isn't such thing as a stupid question? It's kind of a strech. I guess it's again about desire for being nice and looking helpful over the desire to help substantially, like teaching a man to fish.

What if someone asks what red is? Like Hellen Keller, this seemingly silly question can be a great puzzle in someone's mind.

Who or whom do we have the pleasure?

The question has much to do with the intention of the questioner. I certainly expect an answer more than a simple explanation in grammar. How did the evolution of the language dictate one preferred form to use as in many instances in the language?

https://www.zhihu.com/question/55142837

Well, at least we all here have google. But, maybe I wrong.

We should consider a person's background besides external factors; these include but are not limited to language learners' language level, age, the gap between TL-NL, and other noticeable conditions or thoughts that prevent them from effectively acquiring the language at the time.

Ok, now I get it. You mean a hyphotetical alien Lily from a hyphotetical extraterrestrial Taiwan that isn't the world technological hub of micro-chip production and is only connected to LingQ Open Forum. This makes sense.

I have to admit it's quite an exaggeration to the extreme. Well, it's undoubtedly a challenge for a native to explain some key concepts in the language to a beginner with no solid foundation, especially if there are other factors to consider.

So the early bird gets the worms from a can that someone opens up?

Many similar words are not interchangeable, as we see not even with the same word "worms" in the context. As I mentioned above, we need many more explanations to clarify the various usage of different words in context. A simple lookup of the word "worms" does not solve the problem of the comprehension of the message. Anyways, we should save the story about a reward-seeking person who prepares well only to find out stumbling upon chaotic situations inadvertently for another day.

@Ilearner,

I'm not convinced, sorry. You're talking too broadly, too much in general about hypothetical situations.

I'm talking specifically about questions Lily's asking, and she's an intermediate learner and perfectly able to compare synonyms or find answers for most of the questions that she(really - she?) has been asking so far on the Forum.

But it seems that Lily is doing good for a lot of people here who want whatever they want, I'm done with expressing my point here and wish everyone a good time.

@S.I.

Everyone likes the original questions with some intriguing matters to ponder upon. Some of your points are well-taken. As you have pointed out in the paragraph regarding the dog, addressing the concern of the adequate level of language directed at the questioner. The method should have been more crucial in the "fish" analogy. The lack of interaction between Lily and others could be a problem, and Lily could have looked up answers to most questions. Whether a topic or question is worth discussing is a personal choice. Maybe a native or more experienced learner can come up with challenging questions with originality more easily. I don't think much about taking sides, as in black and white. However, I have a few more things to share about language learning regarding Lily.

@lilyyang

The word-for-word translation may work to your disadvantage in your learning.

https://www.linguee.com/english-spanish/search?query=%22las+paredes+oyen%22

The Spanish version of this idiomatic expression is quite different from Chinese and English. If you have something poorly translated from another language into English as learning material, there might be better and more reliable resources than that. I recommend reading books like Diary of a Wimpy Kids series, Seven Highly Effective Habits Teens, etc. A children's dictionary might be the best choice for you to use at this level.

One thing that I have noticed is the double subtitles in the films. I rarely use my native language in the subtitle. I would study the script intensely and watch the first and second TV series in the target language with or without subtitles multiple times. It's not a good idea to rely overly on the subtitle for comprehension for an extended time.

My recommendation may be different from your preference. However, it's one thing to follow what you like to do in the language and another to develop the capability to perform as circumstances arise. Language learning is more about venturing into the unknowns, just like a firefly beckoning far into the dark reaches of the marsh.

Ps. The last line is a quote from "Where the Crawdads Sing."

I want to include the text entirely for those who might be interested.

I am the marsh now.

I am the feather of an egret.

I am every shell

washed upon the shore.

I am a firefly.

You'll see hundreds

beckoning far into the dark

reaches of the marsh.

And that's where you will

always find me.

Way out yonder.

Where the crawdads sing.

facepalm...