need help with few words

[NearThere]

I'm looking for words that may be similar but have grammatical (I think) differences. If anyone can answer these for me that would be great. And I'll try my best to give the descriptons:

1. one's handwriting is hard to understand:
2. text or paragraph that's not/can't be understood:
3. someone's speech not making sense (eg, drunk):
4. somseon's talking too fast and hard to understand:
5. someone's speaking in a foreign tongue that sounds like gibberish:
6. someon'es speech is unclearly heard due to distance, or noises around the speaker:

Thank you!

NT

 

[David L.]

1. one's handwriting is hard to understand:

Illegible, indecipherable

Who wants to tackle No.2 ?

 

[Almegawiz]

n°2: incomprehensible

 

[Barb_D]

I'd use unintelligible for each of those.

("Being such that understanding or comprehension is difficult or impossible; incomprehensible" - The Free Dictionary)

 

[NearThere]

1. one's handwriting is hard to understand:

Illegible, indecipherable

Who wants to tackle No.2 ?

Just a slice today, eh?

I am totally joking. It's a sunny day today. Blame the weather.:-D

NT

 

[David L.]

Didn't want to be greedy! lol
I love posts like this one ...and I imagine others too will want a chance to get their mental teeth into it.

 

[NearThere]

I'd use unintelligible for each of those.

("Being such that understanding or comprehension is difficult or impossible; incomprehensible" - The Free Dictionary)

Barb,

Did you mean for all 5 or just the first 2?

Thanks
NT

 

[beascarpetta]

I'd love to do 3)

I'd use slurred
as in

Her speech was slurred but she still denied she was drunk.

I'd also consider cryptic
for 1.or 2.
:-D

 

[NearThere]

You people are awsome, thank you so much. I can't say this enough and I say it alot here: I've learned a lot on the site. This is really fantastic!

I have just a few more questions concerning Barb's reply in particular to using "unintelligible" for no.2 vs. "incomprehensible".

Can one be replaced always with the other? If I want to be more specific and stress that the text is of a much higher level for the reader to understand, which would it be? Would it be just "incomprehensible"?

And if it's because the text itself is written in a questionable fashion, would "unintelligible" apply only?

p.s.: I've looked up the words in a dictionary

Thank you!
NT

 

[stuartnz]

I'm looking for words that may be similar but have grammatical (I think) differences. If anyone can answer these for me that would be great. And I'll try my best to give the descriptons:

1. one's handwriting is hard to understand:
2. text or paragraph that's not/can't be understood:
3. someone's speech not making sense (eg, drunk):
4. somseon's talking too fast and hard to understand:
5. someone's speaking in a foreign tongue that sounds like gibberish:
6. someon'es speech is unclearly heard due to distance, or noises around the speaker:

Thank you!

NT

Here are some choices I'd consider:

1. Illegible
2. Incomprehensible
3. Slurred, or incoherent.
4. Slurred again, or garbled (NZers are ALWAYS being accused of talking too fast through nearly shut mouths, so I have experience in this)
5. Garbled again. Possibly yammering or jabbering. Those last two options have faintly pejorative overtones, and often refer to speech which the user understands, but considers to be nonsensical.
6. Muffled, inaudible.

 

[NearThere]

Stuart,

Thank you so much!! This is fantastic. Thank you!!!

NT

 

[David L.]

'unintelligible' and 'incomprehensible' are not interchangeable.

'unintelligible' means impossible to understand. As a westerner, if I was beginning to learn Mandarin, and I listened to native speakers in China, it would be unintelligible because I could not discern specific words out of all the sounds. It would be like, in English, wondering what "sitit" means, having picked that sound out of the sentence, "Please sit it outside in the sun to dry." A baby's babble is unintelligible.
'incomprehensible' refers to a failure to understand something, as in, "The reason why he should murder his sweet old granny is incomprehensible to me." I can't fathom, imagine, comprehend his motive, yet he must have had one.

I'm thinking about your other two questions. But what did you have in mind by 'questionable'? We talk about a joke of questionable taste, or a manuscript of questionable authenticity. Did you mean something like, a book full of high-falluting jargon?

 

[Stilo]

Well NT hi,
Here is my input, for what it's worth!!


4) I agree with all the others but for this, you could use the verb to gabble (on) .

5) I would say "double dutch" I do apologise to anyone in the Netherlands!!!

6) How about using the adjective muffled, as in a muffled sound? Meaning deadened,dull,fuzzy,indistinct,muted,unclear or woolly.(most of which can be used in your other expressions.


Glad it is warm over there, I am shivering in maximum temperatures of 10 degrees and minus 1 overnight.

Take care mate

Stilo

 

[NearThere]

I'm thinking about your other two questions. But what did you have in mind by 'questionable'? We talk about a joke of questionable taste, or a manuscript of questionable authenticity. Did you mean something like, a book full of high-falluting jargon?

Your question is a direct result of my limited vocabulary. I used "questionable fashion" (unsuccessfuly as it turned out) to discribe a text written, for example, with little grammar or none at all or text that fails to convey its idea or message maybe because of its sentences' structure that kind of thing. Now given the explanation, what expression/word would you should have suggested that I use? Haha, I don't let people off the hook that easy. :-D

Thanks
NT

 

[NearThere]

Well NT hi,
Here is my input, for what it's worth!!


4) I agree with all the others but for this, you could use the verb to gabble (on) .

5) I would say "double dutch" I do apologise to anyone in the Netherlands!!!

6) How about using the adjective muffled, as in a muffled sound? Meaning deadened,dull,fuzzy,indistinct,muted,unclear or woolly.(most of which can be used in your other expressions.


Glad it is warm over there, I am shivering in maximum temperatures of 10 degrees and minus 1 overnight.

Take care mate

Stilo

Thank you so much, Stilo.

All the adjectives given above have been stored to my vocabulary bank! :lol:

And by the way, I would not use "mate" while David hangs around so closely. That's a red alert.........(I said this facetiously. Nobody get offended please.:-|)

Take care...........you!
NT

 

[vil]

Hi NearThere,

There are further expressions that abide the collocation’s rules by the usage of the adjective “questionable”: questionable statement, questionable assertion, questionable conduct, questionable respectability, questionable advantage, questionable areas, questionable point, questionable accuracy, questionable doctrine, questionable set of practices and principles, questionable route, questionable premises, questionable assumptions, questionable value, questionable decision, questionable criteria, questionable piece of advice, questionable penalty, questionable pleasure, questionable temperament, questionable and unnatural methods, questionable effectiveness, questionable policies.

Regards.

V.

 

[NearThere]

Vil,

Thanks for you effort to help induced by my questionable ability to convey an idea.

Thanks

NT

 

[riverkid]

Near There,

I think that you would absolutely love the Longman Language Activator - Helps You Write and Speak Natural English. You should check one out at a bookstore. It is a new type of dictionary, actually it's called an activator because it can help you find the word that has the nuance that you want/need for a particular situation.

All idioms and all abstract words are gathered together under a simple keyword. [it doesn't do concrete words like table, desk, chair, etc.]

A student asked recently for, I found it, it was Blouen, in,

https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ask-teacher/63211-piece-cake.html

There he asked for word meaning difficult to do. I listed a number of them from the Activator [forgot to note where they were from ] This is THEE book for more advanced learners to help them make their English more natural.

Check it out at a bookstore.

 

[NearThere]

Thanks a lot riverkid.

It sounds like something that'd definitely help me with my English. I will check it out.

NT