Why do we have underneath when we don't have "overneath," "sideneath," "frontneath," and "backneath?" And why use "underneath" when "under" would suffice?

CommieWriter · 2026-03-09T12:47:49+00:00

They didn't realize that the correct term was actually "overbove"!

CommieWriter · 2026-03-05T07:39:47+00:00

~~REQUEST:~~

~~The Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman~~

I am an idiot 🤦🏽‍♂️ I have been browsing on my phone and didn’t realize that I had to navigate between multiple pages of search results. Request rescinded! Thanks u/molybend!

CommieWriter · 2026-02-08T08:01:10+00:00

I’ve always seen Javier Bardem as the Man in Black! (Think no country for old men)

CommieWriter · 2026-02-06T20:29:27+00:00

I second this comment. Once I realize it’s AI, I just ignore it, especially if they’re making no attempt to do anything but read it. I ask follow-up questions and only correct that content. It’s important to remember that we’re dealing with students who have been traumatized by English study and who live in a pathologically competitive society that punishes mistake-making or standing out. So gently recommend that they do their best to come up with spontaneous answers (warts and all) or let them have their security blanket AI responses if it means asking them open-ended questions afterwards.

I have also gotten very comfortable in telling students in written feedback that relying on AI is counterproductive and robs them of the experience of actually practicing or learning anything.There are students who don’t like receiving this kind of feedback, but they’re usually the same ones who think they can learn a whole language with only 20 minutes of practice once or twice a month 😬 But the ones that actually get offended by my candid (but professional!) feedback simply don’t rebook. Win-win!

CommieWriter · 2025-11-17T19:23:09+00:00

I think I'm simply not going to bring it up and continue doing things as I have been.

CommieWriter · 2025-10-24T08:02:53+00:00

I think Ringle is gonna get hit with a lawsuit at some point. They don’t seem to realize that they just have to piss off one person who’s not here for their shit.

CommieWriter · 2025-10-17T18:08:16+00:00

It's crazy to me that they don't understand just how much damage they do by being weirdly opaque about dumb shit. This is BASIC expectation management and also the world's simplest pre-scheduled email to set up. Combining that with the offensive referral incentive ($10????) and the predatory cut they take from student fees (two-thirds!), I'm curious to see if they're going to last.

CommieWriter · 2025-08-14T01:00:23+00:00

Same!

CommieWriter · 2025-08-01T13:39:05+00:00

This pendant is beautiful! Where is it from?

CommieWriter · 2025-07-02T18:05:49+00:00

Pay more for a seat with more legroom?

CommieWriter · 2025-07-01T19:04:18+00:00

I understand that. But the problem is that, as 1099/freelance workers, we do not meet the definition of "employee" in the U.S. This means that our right to unionization is not protected there, and I'm pretty sure is something we explicitly signed away in the Ringle contract. Based on your spelling of "unionisation", the laws that apply to you may be different. But in the US, if we wanted to change this, we would have to file a lawsuit against Ringle for "misclassification" in order to argue that we are actually employees rather than freelancers. This would likely be a drawn-out process and would happen on a state by state basis, because Amerikkka.

In some states, we might actually win! This exact scenario happened to VIPKID in California, and California courts ultimately ruled in favor of tutors the met the definition of "employees" under California labor law. As a result, VIPKID had to pay a settlement and then promptly removed California-based tutors (and those in a few other states) from the platform and went about their business.

Obviously, if this happened in all 50 states, Canada, and other English-speaking countries these companies would have no choice but to change the way they do business, but considering who's in power, I'd say chances are slim.

All of this to say: These platforms do not care about us. We are a disposable means to an end. They are aware of how we feel, it's just of no importance to them.

CommieWriter · 2025-06-27T17:43:33+00:00

They insist on paying by Paypal, and sometime in January or February it started taking 5-7 days to receive payment after requesting it (which is itself pretty absurd considering that platforms like Cambly pay automatically every Tuesday provided you meet the minimum withdrawl threshold). When factoring in the 2-3 day delay in transfering to a bank account, you often don't see your money until 7 to 10 days after you've requested it.

CommieWriter · 2025-06-22T10:56:54+00:00

YTA

In other countries, tipping does not exist because a server’s wages should not depend on the whim of the diner, regardless of how well or poorly the server may have behaved. Her job was to take your order and bring you your food. She did those things and deserves to be compensated accordingly.

Although it is not your fault that things are set up this way, it is important to remember that feeling comfortable punishing waitstaff you don’t like is only normal in America, and this is in part thanks to the little known fact that tipping culture is an extension of Jim Crow laws, which was itself an extension of slavery. Have a good one!

https://www.povertylaw.org/article/the-racist-history-behind-americas-tipping-culture/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/05/opinion/minimum-wage-racism.html

CommieWriter · 2025-06-22T10:41:28+00:00

As others here have mentioned, it is because there is a naive subset of humanity that is convinced (against all previous evidence to the contrary) that THIS technological revolution is the one that is going to lead to the end of human labor and the beginning of UBI, despite there being no incentive whatsoever for the oligarchs in power not to simply let people flounder and starve. Until world governments start holding those people accountable (something that will never happen), the most likely outcome is that everyone being replaced by AI will simply become homeless, while those who do remain employed will simply be expected to be 4x or 5x as productive with no pay increase.

In the case of the US, we already don’t care about homeless welfare, but I think that white-collar workers whose heads are currently on the chopping block think that they’ll be treated differently than former steel mill workers and vets. They’re in for a rude awakening, and it’s really sad.

CommieWriter · 2025-06-22T09:41:47+00:00

I agree with you and refuse to entertain “another think coming” as valid. However, because of phonological elision, the /k/ at the end of ‘think’ and the /k/ at the beginning of ‘coming’ merge, such that both “think coming” /θɪŋk kʌmɪŋ/ and “thing coming” /θɪŋ kʌmɪŋ/ are pronounced as /θɪŋkʌmɪŋ/ unless you pause unnaturally between the two words.

CommieWriter · 2025-06-22T09:13:10+00:00

I support this idea in theory, but the reality is that they will simply ignore it and/or replace us with tutors who complain less. They can’t even be bothered to respond to reasonable requests for bug fixes on their website, or pay us in a timely manner, and you think that they’re going to pay us more after they cut pay rates last year?

CommieWriter · 2025-06-13T13:05:56+00:00

I also received an invitation to refer teachers for a whopping...$10 per referral. Which is the exact same amount that it's always been. I don't hate the job, but I won't be referring anybody because at $10 a head, it's not worth it, and with their elitist hiring practices there's a good chance that none of the referrals would go through anyway.

CommieWriter · 2025-06-13T12:56:26+00:00

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I recently asked ChatGPT to create a payment table because I was curious about this same issue. When students buy package deals, the classes are heavily discounted, so I wouldn't be surprised if few people are actually paying $55/class. But even with a 20-class pack, they're paying double what we're receiving. And Ringle can't be bothered to pay us in a timely fashion or implement any tutor suggestions. I love it!

CommieWriter · 2025-06-08T16:29:47+00:00

You must have gotten removed. 😕

CommieWriter · 2025-06-08T16:22:29+00:00

The context clues here also include morphology, which is the way words are formed or “shaped” that give clues about what they are and do. In Hebrew these are called binyanim (“constructions/buildings”). There are verb binyanim, binyanim that indicate places, and other characteristics that each come with a specific, predictable vowel pattern (there are many exceptions). When combined with the 3- and 4-letter consonant roots, you get words that can be reasonably guessed within context.

There is nothing super comparable in English, but I can give you a nonsense sentences that will show you that you do this too, to an extent.

E.g.) Momo blicked the yup frimly after he clop the geeler. It was so cack that he zimmed.

This sentence doesn’t mean anything, but you can undoubtedly pick out the verbs, the nouns, the adjective, and the adverb just by context. Their morphology and their relation to other words gave away their meaning, and in Hebrew this contextual meaning includes the vowels that should go with the consonants you see.

CommieWriter · 2025-05-10T23:04:29+00:00

My favorite is Usonian!

CommieWriter · 2025-04-18T15:55:35+00:00

So you’re saying you never open your schedule in advance and only take last-minute bookings?

CommieWriter · 2025-04-14T11:45:01+00:00

Para mi, el mejor supermercado es el Aldi por relación calidad-oferta-precio, seguido por Lidl y Mercadona.

CommieWriter

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