For the general behoof

[irmamar]

The following excerpt is from a novel by Dickens. I don't understand well what I'm going to underline. Is there someone to help me?:

Girl number twenty unable to define a horse! said Mr. Gradgrind, for the general behoof of all the little pitchers.

¿Para el beneficio general de todas las jarritas?

Thanks

[CrOtALiTo]

It's gotten from a book right?

May you give me the book name?

Really I have time finding any book that I can read by the nights.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Girl number twenty unable to define a horse! said Mr. Gradgrind, for the general behoof of all the little pitchers.

¿Para el beneficio general de todas las jarritas?

Thanks

behoof = benefit. Gradgrind is a teacher at a school, famous for filling children with facts. The metaphor is that the children are all little pitchers (jars) full to overflowing of water = little heads full of facts.

[hermit]

hola irmamar - si, "para el beneficio general de todas las jarritas".

habiendo leido 'hard times', me acuerdo del contexto de ese momento en
una de las clases de Gradgrind - "jarritas = "little pitchers", y por lo tanto
representan estudiantes-as como los vio el maestro: mentes vacias y bien
preparadas a aceptar sus metodos (y propositos) relativos a la ensenanza.

como fabricacion en serie de seres humanos, la que era anatema para
una generacion del siglo XIX, ?no verdad?

hermit

[irmamar]

Thanks, Perikles and Hermit. I'm not reading the novel, just a short passage from the novel and later we'll work with its vocabulary and syntax. So I'm very grateful for setting me in the context, since I didn't know what those "little jars" were.

Crotalito, as Hermit said, the novel is Hard Times, by Charles Dickens. As this novel is free from author rights, maybe you can find it in the Internet

Y en cuanto a la "fabricación en serie de humanos", creo que los estudiantes hoy en día siguen siendo "jarritas vacías" (muchos incluso cuando acaban de estudiar)

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Perikles

behoof = benefit. Gradgrind is a teacher at a school, famous for filling children with facts. The metaphor is that the children are all little pitchers (jars) full to overflowing of water = little heads full of facts.

By reading the paragraph, I surmised it referred to children (boys and girls) but I did not catch the metaphor of the empty jars/minds ready to be filled...

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Thanks, Perikles and Hermit. I'm not reading the novel, just a short passage from the novel and later we'll work with its vocabulary and syntax. So I'm very grateful for setting me in the context, since I didn't know what those "little jars" were.

Crotalito, as Hermit said, the novel is Hard Times, by Charles Dickens. As this novel is free from author rights, maybe you can find it in the Internet

Y en cuanto a la "fabricación en serie de humanos", creo que los estudiantes hoy en día siguen siendo "jarritas vacías" (muchos incluso cuando acaban de estudiar)

Thank you for you support.

Immediately I'll find the author of the novel.

Beforehand thanks you.

[hermit]

si irmamar - hace muchos anos que no escribo sobre estos topicos.

asi siempre ha sido - pero de vez en cuando encontramos maestros
que saben comunicar no solo lo de uso sino tambien cierta inspiracion, la que les sirve bien por toda la vida.

(que perdones mi espanol que sera un poco torpe por falta de practica.)

hermit

[irmamar]

No es tan malo tu español, it's much better than my English

El problema en mi país no está tanto en los profesores como en el sistema educativo. Es penoso, la verdad. No a nivel universitario, sino en la educación obligatoria.

You're welcome, Crotalito . I like a lot Dickens, I don't know if you have ever heard about him (maybe you know something about Oliver Twist, his most famous novel). Es triste pero muy tierno

[sosia]

Originally Posted by chileno

By reading the paragraph, I surmised it referred to children (boys and girls) but I did not catch the metaphor of the empty jars/minds ready to be filled...

same for me. Thanks perikles/hermit

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by irmamar

I like a lot Dickens

(I'm really not getting at you ) but this adverb must go after the object.

I love my children a lot
I like pizza a lot
I enjoy music a lot
I dislike work very much

Tengo que escribir mas español para que tu puedas corregírme también.

[pjt33]

Originally Posted by Perikles

Tengo que escribir mas español para que tu puedas corregírme también.

"Corregirme" no tiene tilde.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by pjt33

"Corregirme" no tiene tilde.

Well, if that's the only mistake, I'm quite chuffed.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Perikles

Well, if that's the only mistake, I'm quite chuffed.

You bet!

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by irmamar

No es tan malo tu español, it's much better than my English

El problema en mi país no está tanto en los profesores como en el sistema educativo. Es penoso, la verdad. No a nivel universitario, sino en la educación obligatoria.

You're welcome, Crotalito . I like a lot Dickens, I don't know if you have ever heard about him (maybe you know something about Oliver Twist, his most famous novel). Es triste pero muy tierno

Thank you Irmamar.

It's important to know, I can find people like you that precisely helps to the others.

I know something about Olive twist, because just I saw movie about him before, in fact I liked the movie.

Please you telling me something more about Oliver.

I listen you.

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by Perikles

(I'm really not getting at you ) but this adverb must go after the object.

I love my children a lot
I like pizza a lot
I enjoy music a lot
I dislike work very much

Tengo que escribir mas español para que tu puedas corregírme también.

Thanks Perikles. You do me a great favour with your corrections .

When I was writing "setting me in the context" I wasn't sure if it was correct. I'd like to know it (I meant "situarme en el contexto")

Yes, I'm expecting you to write in Spanish, so I'll come running to correct you!

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

Thank you Irmamar.

It's important to know, I can find people like you that precisely helps to the others.

I know something about Olive twist, because just I saw movie about him before, in fact I liked the movie.

Please you telling me something more about Oliver.

I listen you.

Well, I saw the film years ago, too. And also a lot of years have passed since I read the book. But I remember Oliver was a child whose mother died when he was born and he must live in an orfanage. There he goes hungry and lives a sad life until he goes to learn a job: he's learning to be a thief. I can't explain anymore because I would spoil you book

I hope "a lot of years" is good

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by irmamar

And also a lot of years many years have passed since I read the book. But I remember Oliver was a child whose mother died when he was born and he must live in an orfanageorphanage (Greek!) . There he goes hungry and lives a sad life until he goes to learn a job: he's learning to be a thief. I can't explain anymore because I would spoil you book I would spoil the book for you

I hope "a lot of years" is good

No, it isn't.

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by Perikles

No, it isn't.

Perikles? ¿Todavía no te atreves a escribir en español?

Why can't I say "a lot of years"? Yes, I know I could use "many", but I'm sure I've ever seen "a lot of years" for "un montón de años" (puedo decir "un montón de años" o "muchos años", en español es lo mismo)

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Perikles? ¿Todavía no te atreves a escribir en español? )

Soy muy tímido.

Originally Posted by irmamar

Why can't I say "a lot of years"? Yes, I know I could use "many", but I'm sure I've ever seen "a lot of years" for "un montón de años" (puedo decir "un montón de años" o "muchos años", en español es lo mismo)

No sé, pero no se dice. Tal vez "many, many years"

[poli]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Perikles? ¿Todavía no te atreves a escribir en español?

Why can't I say "a lot of years"? Yes, I know I could use "many", but I'm sure I've ever seen "a lot of years" for "un montón de años" (puedo decir "un montón de años" o "muchos años", en español es lo mismo)

De verdad "a lot of years" se usa mucho. En un poquito informal y parece
muy americano