I got 51/70, the national average. My language skills have really gone downhill the past few years probably from lack of regular use. Does anyone know any good ways of improving them?
How did you all do in the test?
-------------------- I tried to get in touch with my inner child, but she isn't allowed to talk to strangers. Posts: 674 | From: Scotland | Registered: May 2004
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posted
Hmm...61 out of 70. I did well in grammar and spelling and comprehension, but lost points in words and comprehension. I think some of that occurred because I couldn't always follow the British accents on the radio bits...and rhyming slang stumps me!
At least I'm in the top 10%!
-------------------- "No hard feelin's and HOPpy New Year!"--Walt Kelly Hear what you're missing: ARTC podcasts! http://artcpodcast.org/ Posts: 7581 | From: Gainesville, Georgia | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
I got 52/70, "above average", which I think is pretty good considering I had never heard a lot of the British slang and had to guess.
Comprehension 8/11 Spelling and Comprehension 10/14 Language 8/14 Grammar 12/16 Words 14/15
-------------------- "There is no constitutional right to sleep with endangered reptiles." -- Carl Hiaasen Won't somebody please think of the adults! Posts: 8254 | From: Florida | Registered: Oct 2002
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posted
Also national average. I don't get slang! And I am a terrible speller.
-------------------- "When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty."--George Bernard Shaw Posts: 19266 | From: Nashville, TN | Registered: Jun 2002
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posted
49 -- national average. I wonder if American accents sound like gibberish to the English like those radio clips sounded to me. I couldn't understand a word!
The comprehension was tricky because my mind would wander as I was listening. Not being British and all, the slang was also tricky.
Fun test, though; it'd be cool to have an american version.
--NewZer0
-------------------- I study medieval literature because that's where the money is. Posts: 1431 | From: Corvallis, OR | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
51/70 National average Comprehension 8/11 Spelling 11/14 Language 11/14 Grammar 13/16 Words 8/15
Not too bad considering English isn't my primary language. I think that's why I scored best in the 'formal' parts, like spelling and grammar. I had no idea about the slang and only understood about half of the comprehension clips. Maybe I should put off that visit to England I've been thinking about
posted
52/70 National average Comprehension 9/11 Spelling 13/14 Language 8/14 Grammar 13/16 Words 9/15
-------------------- "I have never in my life been more disappointed by a politician I voted for than I have been with George Bush. He is a total liberal."- overheard by me on the shuttle to the U of A game on Nov. 11th. Posts: 3878 | From: Tucson, AZ | Registered: Jan 2001
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I'm glad it ended when it did, as I was about to abandon it as being way too long for an internet quiz.
Posts: 45 | From: Puget Sound, WA | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
I went back and got 70 out of 70...by selecting different answers to the questions I wasn't sure about. That's cheating, of course.
-------------------- "No hard feelin's and HOPpy New Year!"--Walt Kelly Hear what you're missing: ARTC podcasts! http://artcpodcast.org/ Posts: 7581 | From: Gainesville, Georgia | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
50/70. For comments, I culd just copy what Needless Pins wrote :-)
-------------------- Movie characters never make typing mistakes. Posts: 586 | From: Hamburg, Germany | Registered: Sep 2005
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Richard W
Ding Dong! Merrily on High Definition TV
posted
65 / 70 - top 5% apparently. (I forgot to look at the scores for each section).
What's up with calling the questions about the clips "understanding"? That was memory, like Andrew said!
(edit) I did get the right spelling for "inoculate" though. But it was a panic guess with two seconds to go, when I suddenly realised that I'd never been able to spell it and so went for the one that looked wrong, just on the off-chance.
Posts: 8725 | From: Ipswich - the UK's 9th Best Place to Sleep! | Registered: Feb 2000
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posted
I got 59 and I agree about the clips... Plus I was playing them really quietly as I'm in the office!
I got inoculate wrong as well...
-------------------- I want you to lay down your life, Perkins. We need a futile gesture at this stage. It will raise the whole tone of the war. Posts: 4495 | From: Surrey, UK | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
55/70. It was the "understanding" that got me too - sound quality was terrible, and I couldn't concentrate because the impressions were so bad. Especially Sir Bob and Mr Beckham!
-------------------- Silence should never under any circumstances be construed as agreement. A lot of the time, it's simply a reflection that someone just said something so stupid that no response could possibly do it justice. - Ramblin' Dave Posts: 8528 | From: Nottingham, England | Registered: Feb 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Brad from Georgia: I went back and got 70 out of 70...by selecting different answers to the questions I wasn't sure about. That's cheating, of course.
Naughty, naughty.
Actually I am impressed that American Snopesters did so well because I imagine a lot of the slang was very British. At least, though, you didn't have to wonder at who the people were trying to imitate rather than concentrating on what they were saying.
-------------------- Andrew, Ware, England Posts: 1709 | From: Ware, England | Registered: Apr 2003
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zakor
The Red and the Green Stamps
posted
This isn't a test on language, but a test on style and formal registers.
For example: The correct plural of "Mother in law." Well, that depends whether you consider the "in law" to be a suffix or a part of a compounded word...
St James' palace....ok, this is on WRITTEN language, which is an artificial construct.
Which interpretation of "Only Tony Blair listens..." was mentioned SECOND? Second? This isn't language, it's short term memory. Which knight made Bob swear? Mick Jagger. What does that have to do with language skills? Zero.
I'm curious as to how knowledge of Shakespeare reflects on someone's English language skills.
Less / Fewer: This distinction is being leveled across the English speaking world. Here's a classic example of STYLE.
badly: This fence needs mending badly....Adverb placement and scope. Formal register.
What did the "Carry on" films show? Who gives a shit?
What was the callers name in the long monologue? How the HELL does this test language proficiency?
I'm not sure what it thinks it's testing. I know it's supposed to be entertainment, but I give this test a wholehearted F.
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I clicked on "text version" and got a test on 20th century events.
So, do you have to have flash to get the right test?
Seaboo
-------------------- Education is not the filling of a hard drive, but the lighting of a bulb. -- Yeats via Esprise Me Posts: 5562 | From: Seattle, WA | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:Originally posted by zakor: This isn't a test on language, but a test on style and formal registers.
Well, clearly part of language, isn't it?
Style - part of language. Written language - part of language (which in a way is artificial as well). Shakespeare - part of the English language, maybe less his works, but ye ole English. So is youth English. And so on.
What I agree upon is the memory effect of understanding. But then, at least in Germany, many studies show, that people understand less and less of what is said, which is a language problem. I guess they wanted that taken into account, but failed.
-------------------- Movie characters never make typing mistakes. Posts: 586 | From: Hamburg, Germany | Registered: Sep 2005
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posted
59, top 10% apparently. I can spot wrongly spelled words easy, if they'd asked me to actually spell them myself however I think I'd have fallen flat on my face!
Posts: 1710 | From: Newcastle, UK | Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
56/70 I found too many of the questions either concentrated on local knowlege (Was all the rhyming slang questions there just try and boost the london average?) or memory the sound clips had nothing to do with comprehension. Mind you not bad for a dyslexic.
-------------------- All the world's a face, And all the men and women merely acne. Posts: 673 | From: Glasgow, Scotland | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
52/70, above average. Not bad, considering that I am an American, did not recognize the popular references, and did not understand any of the audio!
ETA: Oh, and I did not even know about rhyming slang until a patient from England told me a few weeks ago. Posts: 400 | From: Maryland | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Dr. Dave: 52/70, above average. Not bad, considering that I am an American, did not recognize the popular references, and did not understand any of the audio!
ETA: Oh, and I did not even know about rhyming slang until a patient from England told me a few weeks ago.
Don't worry most people don't really know rhyming slang. I suspect it was put in there just to make Londoners look better.
-------------------- All the world's a face, And all the men and women merely acne. Posts: 673 | From: Glasgow, Scotland | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
50/70, not bad for a Yank who knows nothing of rhyming slang and had to pay the clips very very quietly.
quote:Originally posted by strange_little_girl: My language skills have really gone downhill the past few years probably from lack of regular use. Does anyone know any good ways of improving them?
Read.
You don't have to read great literature, but read things that are reasonably well-written.
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
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posted
Heh...I took the "Hard Spell" test and missed only one...not because I couldn't spell the word but because I tried to type too fast and made a typo. I recognized it just as I hit "enter," but it was too late.
-------------------- "No hard feelin's and HOPpy New Year!"--Walt Kelly Hear what you're missing: ARTC podcasts! http://artcpodcast.org/ Posts: 7581 | From: Gainesville, Georgia | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
Well, 55 out of 70. Not too bad, but I still don't know what "rhyming slang" means. Time for a web search...
-------------------- One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds. -Frank Zappa Posts: 135 | From: Utah | Registered: Feb 2005
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-------------------- "British English speakers point to Americans adding more syllables so that they can make even more noise without actually saying anything." Llewtrah
Posts: 2235 | From: Sussex , UK | Registered: May 2004
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posted
53/70 Above average Comprehension 8/11 Spelling 12/14 Language 9/14 Grammar 14/16 Words 10/15
Don't think I did so well on the listening parts - I usually need a combination of audio and visual to remember things well. More visual than audio, anyway.
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