What is the opposite of yearn?

[Yankee]

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It's nice to meet you, Ray.
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[English Rpg Gm]

Likewise, Amy. On a nice sunny day like today in Warsaw, it is nice to be called such a warm name as Ray. Actually, "R." "A." is what my dad called me since I was a tot and it stuck. It also has numerological significance if one goes in for that sort of esoteric thing.

Since my dad passed, I have grown fonder of the appellation. It is also my mark, incorporating the R into a star formation of an A.

[Yankee]

Ah, so you're really R.A. -- just like J.R. is J.R.

I was born and raised on the other side of the Canadian border. I live about 250 miles south of Montreal. I've been involved in ESL for around 25 years, and I know exactly what you mean when you talk about feeling uncomfortable with (or not understanding) some of the ESL tests that are on the market.

For the record, I understood your use of 'fail' (i.e. the simple present tense) perfectly in the context and would not label it as being 'improper' usage. However, I would tend to agree that it is not a usage that is typically taught to beginners.
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[English Rpg Gm]

[Yankee]

No, actually I only meant on the US side of the Canadian border.
I spent most of my childhood not far from Philadelphia -- even further south from where I live now (Connecticut).
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[English Rpg Gm]

Yeah, that would be really strange, but in a good way, were you from my hometown.

The instructional part of our exchange for ESL students is to see that even we natives make mistakes in understanding: perfect (even simple perfect) English is not infallible. I know a few proficiency-level speakers who need to relax about that.