Is asking meanings of words OK?

[Ahmadov]

Dear Alan and Torsten,

I wonder if you believe that answering questions about meanings of words is something teachers should do on this web site?

Why to overload this web site with questions about the meaning of every single word when the global web is rich of various dictionaries that can be very useful for learners of various levels. I can suggest to the fellow users my best online dictionaries - www.dictionary.cambridge.org (English to English translation) and www.multitan.ru (the best online Russian-English/English-Russian dictionary that also includes vocabulary from other languages) to support them in enriching their vocabulary.

Dear fellow users,
I am so sorry if I sound rude but let us keep this web site for more important inquiries other than just simple words. We should take into account that this is a unique web site and we should try to save the teachers' energy to explain us more important and useful things.

All the best

Zahir Ahmadov
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Learning is a sacred engagement.

[Alan]

Hi,

Thank you for your comments. I don't think we would like to ban people from asking the meanings of words if they are used in a particular context and presented in that way. I agree asking the meaning of words in isolation doesn't seem a very useful exercise.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Indirect Speech