Here's a question: "What is the defining quality of ...(someone)?"

When I'm trying to answer this question, am I supposed to find the only one quality? Can I list three or more qualities?

Question

Here's a question: "What is the defining quality of ...(someone)?"

When I'm trying to answer this question, am I supposed to find the only one quality? Can I list three or more qualities?

Epicteus · Answer

Yes because it is singular quality not qualities but you can you use a word which expresses more qualities than one in a word for example ethereal delicately thin and pretty and pertaining to otherworldly qualities or characteristics. Another defining quality which you could instead use would be stoic which means patient endurance and cutting off your desires.

Epicteus · Answer

@Conniiiiiie Yes perfection is a human quality and so is chivalry which means gallantry, just think of those old knight tales and their behavior was considered as such a good example of chivalry. Perfection is also a human quality although many argue it is not but it is, only every one has a different idea of perfection for example the Ancient Greeks thought that Helen was perfection because of her beauty but she would be considered ugly  in the twenty first century because she was overweight but the Ancient Greeks considered overweight women as a sign of beauty.

Epicteus · Answer

@Conniiiiiie My pleasure, I am pleased to help you. Try to break down words in. order to understand them better because most English words are created through blending (combining two previously unrelated words in to one in order to create a new word ) for example breakfast +lunch» brunch. Yummy+delicious» yummilicious

Epicteus · Answer

@Conniiiiiie No problem, I am always late too. Yeah I study linguistics as a hobby and it was part of my course. English Linguistics is really interesting because it teaches us that language is not a product of ethnicity but changing the way you use your vocal chords 😅. It's no problems those texts are classics and I am used to them because I started reading classics before I hit teenage but even I found it difficult to read them because they use high frequency lexis (informally called big words) 😅 but don't pay attention to that and concentrate on the story line and you will fall in love; the ancient storyteller has the most vivid imagination. Yes Geoffrey Chaucer's work is amazing and yes middle English is different from today's English because it was written in the passive voice (speakest thou solemnly) instead of the active voice (you speak solemnly) but don't let that detract you from the beauty of the text, because it was more beautiful and poetic back then. Forget about the difficult words, just concentrate on the plot and characters, you can do all the annotation and search up all the high frequency lexis (complex vocabulary) after you have finished reading.

Epicteus · Answer

@Conniiiiiie sorry connie, I was too sick to open the app but I am here now... whoever told you about that twelve year old age bracket myth lies to you, plain and simple. I started to learn British English at the age of twenty and it even amazes people now that I can speak like a native speaker, also; there is a logical fallacy here; not all people love their mother tounge and want to become fluent in it, haven't you seen how Anglicised most Asian kids are nowadays hehe I am one of them. Linguistics is a soft science because we study people not matter so there is a lot of room for individual differences. Try to read historical fiction, it gives you a good idea of what life was like back then without reading history for example if I wanted to read about Tsar ruled Russia I'd read Anton Chekhov, from his works I'd know most Russisns were poor, women were thought important for their looks and had no real status in society, even when they worked and society was class divided and not meritocratic (The Three Sisters). Don't call yourself clumsy! I am worse although I have been fluent in English as a kid like once in a project about Islam I had to write about the Caliph Ali and I was too tired so I accidentally wrote their brothers (Ali's and his cousin Prophet Muhammad) were parents lol when I should have written their parents were brothers oops, its about concentration not fluency make sure you take regular breaks so you do not over burden yourself but the fastest way to memorise is to activate your emotional memory for example I remember this stanza by heart from a religious poem النهر ذاق دمعتك which means the river tasted your tears, I had no intention to memorise it but it is from an Iraqi poem قبلة الحاجة 
it is about the struggle of Abbas Ali's son who got martyred and had his hands cut off because he tried to get water for his thirsty niece Sakina, but didn't succeed, they were martyred because of the cruel usurper Yazid who was a false caliph and tried to force them to pay allegiance to him although he was a tyrant. It is a part of Islamic history. My point is to be emotional about what you want to learn as poetry's sole purpose is to appeal to the emotions and you will automatically memorise it.

Epicteus · Answer

@Conniiiiiie what is the matter with you? I am curious firstly, why study the poem all of a sudden if you hate it? Secondly, if it is compulsory like if it is related to your academics then change your perception of it.  If you perceive something as hard and boring, it will automatically be boring and difficult because of labeling. I studied this in sociology (the Thomas Theorem). Try to search up the historical background of the poet and have a rough idea of what inspired the poet to write it so you don't get discouraged. Fall in love with the poem, it is not a set of scientific formulas to learn but the music of the soul, yes poetry is different from prose. It is an oral tradition and for the enticement of the senses in order to arouse a particular feeling, you have to experience it to understand it. Start by asking yourself, how does this poem make me feel? Do not get distracted by any hard words, I'll give you an example. If you go to a restaurant and there are plenty of foreign meals you can order for free but with strange names; you wouldn't care, would you? You just want to taste the good food even it's spelled queer and all the better for you (you think) as you want to try out something exotic instead of the same old flavors, think of poetry in a similar fashion. After all, it is food for the soul😏

Epicteus · Answer

Hallo Connie! I'm back again and I really wanted to give you the best possible answer ever so I took a long time to answer so I could mull it over
 As for Chinese poetry, no I haven't read it unfortunately because I have read of Chinese philosophers instead like Lao Tzu who blew my mind off with this really inspirational quote "At the center of the being you have the answer;  you know who you are and what you want" rather than being pushed by the capitalist money making machine and Confucious who believed we should ask people who helped us for things in return because if we fall in poverty who will want to help the poor? 🥺 well culture clash can occur because people view their culture superior to others because they are accustomed to it for example British delicacies include jellied eels and as a Muslim I can not fathom why someone would want to eat it. While comparing literature quantitaviely can lead to interesting statistic analysis you should try to be someone else I mean look at the culture from the point of the view of the other person for example I really am so anglicised that the biggest insult my friends can hurl at me now is calling me an American to annoy me because they know I'm not one. I once pretended I was a Westerner with blonde hair and blue eyes with a muddled family my best friend was a vampire who killed herself in the end because she was afraid of harming me the vampire was an allegory because we know most humans have a blood lust for killing others for their exploitation just look at the American military in the Middle East and third world countries and so humans have become vampires metaphorically only in Mina the vampire in the story it was not her fault kind of because she was born in that way but most humans love to kill each other like they are animals people don't care about killing an animal as long as the meat tastes good similarly people nowadays mostly don't give a hoot about killing innocent people they buy products from zionist corporations such as Tesco which kill innocents in Gaza 😭💔😢 so humans (most of them) are worse than actual vampires because the vampire sacrificed herself in the end to save her best friend (me). I focus on the story line first and then the literary devices flow naturally to me because I believe it's the story that's most important as the literary devices are relatively similar in all literature whether it is in English, Arabic or Chinese. The best euologist is the Iraqi guy Muslim Al Waeli for of all the renditions done to honour our martyrs of Karbala his has touched me the most especially in his heart rendering lament which he recites I know it's not a pop song to enjoy but it is so good I mean the lyrics are written by a poet and the euologist has an amazing voice وعيونك شاغلي بالي (And your eyes are my concern/ And your eyes occupy my mind) is one of my favorite lines from يا حلم كل اليالي Oh dream of all the lights. Here Muslim is revealing to us his desire to meet the shadow of the martyr Hussein who lives inside of him a supernatural shadow because he is obviously not alive now and how this shadow haunts him throughout his life and us all to be honest! We live and die for Hussein; his shadow is inside all of us! he lives in us all!

Epicteus · Answer

Conniiiiiie Hi and Good morning, Connie! I couldn't wait to answer you back bro. I really don't answer back ASAP because unlike other users I don't care about quick points and I want to give you a real answer as literary analysis takes time and if you speed write you'll end up with a C at best (learnt from my high school experience). Oh! I'm flattered thanks. I read a lot of classics especially Gothic fiction as a kid when kids still read only nursery rhymes because I always was interested in ghosts and the supernatural, besides I was always the English teacher's pet,(by Abbas, I don't study and all my teachers gave up on me except for my English teacher for whom I had once written an exceptionally good answer because I was interested in the story and nothing else but she really pampered me and I felt guilty about her high expectations so I always strove to perfect my English, as no one actually cared about English since it is not the mother language) and since I am an introvert the only people I meet are online and I am fiercely private, I wouldn't allow any one in my room if I could help it, so I hate conversations and I found out that hard English makes even the most talkative people silent. I also had a teacher who had travelled abroad to Europe so she managed to acquire the accent and vocabulary needed to sound like a native speaker and she taught us for fun in our English linguistics class, thus I changed my accent and I am so happy now because with a thick British accent, no one understands me at all now! you are so nice Connie to not mind those racist slurs, I would beat up a fellow to death if I heard similar stuff about my culture. People worth melting for like you فداك الكون ❤ I sacrifice the universe for you that is what the text in Arabic actually means, it is a common compliment you'll hear in the Iraqi Arabic dialect with the concept of  (sacrifice) used as a metaphor . It sounds so poetic but believe me this is everyday conversation in Iraqi Arabic! I want to share it with you because I want to help you with your journey in English, you have the skills but you study the wrong way as you try to cram the information, it is literature you can't learn it, you have to feel it, yes there is technical terminology such as similies, metaphors, alliteration, anaphora etc but at the end the examiner will not ask you to define them but on the context through which they are used in the text so you have to make an informed decision with your analysis which involves how you interact with the text,(how it makes you feel). The model suggested is the P. E. E. P-point, E- evidence, E- evaluation. I'll make it easier to understand with an example. Now the recurring obsession is with another Iraqi poem ليالي الجروح the euologist here is Muhammad_alkhaqani he's (from Al Diwaniyah, a city in Iraq); the Iraqi euologist  Muhammad_alkhaqani has a velvety voice (the choice of words is not accidental, note alliteration for emphasis),( but be careful with this point as it could be incidental since even people break into alliteration when randomly talking during every day conversation) which is quite surprising since the recitation is about hurting/ pain or as we'd say in Iraqi Arabic يوجعن as it is about the tragic fate of Hussein but that is what makes the recitation so irresistible, I listen to it several times a day, it is so addictive especially because of the lyrics which are written by another prestigious poet (note the above mentioned effect caused by alliteration) which are enough to move one to tears like I remember that when I prayed to God after the completion of my afternoon prayer I repeated this line to my God and began to cry at once;  أعيش انعى لخيام گلبه which means I live to mourn the tents of his heart in English,(by the way the his refers to Hussein). I have never heard anything more beautiful in my life, it is lovelier than English poetry, English has never struck me as a poetic language actually the Romantics struggled to try to make English retain a poetic flavour but they failed because of Positive Rationalism and the Enlightenment Era with inventors such as Kant so man was not seen as the sum and product of his emotions as the Romantics fancied but a product of logic which is why English has always been the language of prose first and poetry second, you can't rationalise emotions, poetry is supposed to appeal to your emotions not your logic which is why this Arabic poem ليالي الجروح is so poignant because it appeals to pure emotion that makes all of us including the euologist (in the video) smite our hearts in horror at the tragedy that befell Hussein, also, there is some symbolism in the video too such as the window   which symbolises another world, also, this is not your usual window, it is a gorgeous gilded casement, with Gothic taste that if it could speak it would scream at you beware! don't enter for if you do you will be transported to another world, another time to those painful nights where everyone was wounded and dying of hunger and thirst which is where the voice of the euologist takes you only there is no escape or relief for it is not everyday that you'll come across a melancholy man in black who narrates nothing but pain despite his sugary sweet voice which will do nothing but torture your soul for that is what his own soul has become a tortured soul but only those who love Hussein will stay and look out of that window because we want to feel Hussein's pain even if it kills us on the inside, since we are ready to die for him we are all Hussein!

Epicteus · Answer

@Conniiiiiie Better than me. I struggle to keep my sanity nowadays; it seems as if bad luck's attracted to me, like it seems the world is against me, I went on the site to check the timings for the prayer but those stupid sites gave me the wrong time twice and so because I couldn't finish on time, I'll have to stay up to finish my prayer and then sleep, unfortunately for me if that wasn't bad enough I cut my finger on tin during dinner and yeah a person's prayer is invalid if he or she bleeds so I had to wait until the bleeding stopped which meant I was even more late than usual which is literal torture because apart from the guilt, I also have to get up at 4  something in the morning to clean my room in the morning so that a prayer's actually performable so I'm like why am I alive right now.

Yeah never trust the internet first they lied about Lao Tzau and now my prayer timings but I have a suggestion for you, poetry and literary has been a part of Ancient China's culture and from all that I know about you now sis I can see the poetic vein flows in your blood so don't stress and don't worry about perfection literature is not about learning it's about feeling it's about imagination so as Confucious would say enjoy the everyday pleasures of life like any ordinary human being, don't rush and enjoy the moment for what it is, don't run after poetry, let it come to you that way it'd be impossible for you to procastinate and perfection would come naturally as a result of enjoying something. Be like me, I literally learn the verses unintentionally of ليالي الجروح because the poem touches me so deeply, that I'd rather die than be deprived of the voice of my favourite euologist Muhammad_alkhaqani and the chance to peek in to that window again. 
So I also procastinate too but different from your procastination, because I listen to the poetry when I should complete some other task at hand. I run to the poetry, you seem to run away from it now, change your mindset in to mine and you'll achieve your desired results, I promise.

Epicteus · Answer

@Conniiiiiie I'm sorry for the really late reply too but I was like this poor kid is already sick and I don't want to bother her with an already overwrought reply and strain her eyes further so I guess I'll switch to Arabic which is like full of brevity because one word can express so many ideas compared to English so I'd reply to you like I'd do to my Iraqi friend, تسلملي which literally means may you be safe, and is used to say  Thank you indirectly as a result  in order to express gratitude, it is a very common compliment and expression in Arabic. Really polite too. 
Now since you are stuck at home,  I'd suggest lots of book reading to improve your English especially the classics whenever I got sick I'd snuggle up with a good classic to escape the world and enter a faraway magic land. You'll wake up feeling better and your English will improve overnight. 
Yeah also watch lots of football to cheer you up, the Qatar World Cup is full of surprises, my favorite was when Morocco won against Portugal 1-0 and besides it is a great way to improve your English without trying because the commentary is predominantly done by native  speakers of English so it's easy to imitate and pronounce the words, lol I'm prescriptive when it comes to linguistics. 
Sorry, I hope this is not too long. 🥺

Epicteus · Answer

@Conniiiiiie #فديت😍😍 it literally means I sacrifice, though most people don't take it literally here sacrifice is used as a metaphor to show your appreciation to someone and is used for when you find someone super cute and adorable and want to be friends with them or if you have a deep respect and admiration for someone and you want them to know that. 
You are so focused I always got distracted by football during my studies. Yeah 🇸🇦2-1 🇦🇷 was also one of the biggest blessings and I hope Argentina loses again. Pray for Morocco to win today even if you can't watch, it's such a pity.
Don't forget to dive into a nice adventure story, it'll make you learn those fancy English words and you'll forget that you are ill, if you are too busy at least read a page or two daily. 
Yeah and try to avoid toxic people and surround yourself with good people as it is scientifically proven to strengthen the immune response.
Here is my instagram account. @ume_kulsoomsh Follow me and I'll follow you back
Update the app if it is pending Delete the app and install it again if that fails.

Epicteus · Answer

@Conniiiiiie You are always welcome, it is no problem, as I always reply really late to all my friends anyway unless they are ultra special like you so then I go out of my way to make time for them. 
Thanks for wishing me a Happy New Year but for me likewise it is not a happy new year as tragedy struck me too, my best friend from the occupied West Bank 🇵🇸 lost his elder brother who was only 28 years old and his brother was imprisoned by the occupation too but martyred shortly after release. My so-called friends some of them I mean have given me a terrible time, they have been hurtful and disgusting, like some of them don't feel sorry for what happened because they think I am a shameless person I have a lot of friends and we fool around and make stupid jokes when I am in a better mood and we used to party live on insta since they sent me invites online so people think I am a shameless corrupt person for having fun just because of their Victorian conservative mindset like today one of my ex friends he is not my friend any longer after what he did, this shit feigned sympathy just so he could humiliate me in private. In fact he just befriended me to humiliate me and take advantage of me, what a bloody jerk, I promise you that I am not like these people, you can turn to me when ever you want. I wrote this in the photo الله
💔لازم تكسر كلبي
It translates to 
God 💔You have to break my heart. 
Now that I think of it, as terrible it seems to think of it now, it is not God that breaks our heart but humans by their shit; 
by their absolute corrupt behavior like this shit hole; so called loser literally pretended as if nothing happened after humiliating me but lets forget him for now. 
God at least in my religion says that we must not get really attached to human beings because it is to him we belong and to him we return if we see only this life and the people in it as temporary then we would not be so hurt when we lose them 😭💔 but it is easier written then done.
God also said in the muslim holy book something like this and we have exalted/ raised some of you by ranks/ degrees so we may try and test you. So just think of it as a test for us that God is trying to bring us closer to him to see if we would still worship him in difficulty and if he took away our beloved ones from us back to him where they actually belong. 
I remember that I read some where on the internet that God tests people like this and I thought it would be easy to overcome but I was so wrong it struck me now that it hurts like hell. 
While I can not bring her back for you as much as I want to, I would advise you to be careful who you hang out with especially nowadays because if like me you unfortunately end up with the wrong company of bullies you will end up being much more miserable. Trust me they will take advantage of your misery and delight in making you even more miserable than before. I literally posted photos of my tears after what happened and some jerks literally were like laughing at me and tried to make me even more miserable like the shit hole guy I told you about. 
Surround your self with people who love you for who you are. Remember your grandma is in a better place in Heaven now (okay, I don't know if you are an atheist or not) but even if you are an atheist remember that you are not alone, our own Prophet's daughter Fatima died of grief after her father's death.
Do not try to bottle up your pain, I find that letting it out whether through writing, listening to a noha helps or asking help from a friend, speeds up the healing process. May God bless your grandma and grant her seventh Heaven
You are such a sweet and kind person you don't deserve this. I hope you feel better and have a safe recovery from COVID-19 or are at least a bit better so you don't feel too tired to read this. 
Just as we both know by now no happiness lasts forever, no sadness lasts forever too and may God reward you abundantly for suffering such a huge loss. God will compensate for your loss and offer you something better like once a friend of mine lost another loved one he was also a فلسطيني 🇵🇸 who was martyred  God killed the jewish bitch who shot him and all the other innocent kids so the massacre was somewhat curbed. God will you both a better life in Heaven than on this shit Earth you shall see. 
Also, my dear friend Bilal ghosted me after breaking the terrible news, it sucks, and I found out what happened through another guy's instagram story who had added me before, and I had added him back. It hurts to have your best friend pretend act like you don't exist but I won't ghost you, if there's any thing I can do for you  please tell me. I am ready to sacrifice my self for you/ any sacrifice for you/ فدوة 
P. S: This is too tragic, I can't even like it! so I bookmarked the answer instead.

Epicteus · Answer

@Conniiiiiie Thanks for your concern فدةةةةةةةةةةة

Here's a question: "What is the defining quality of ...(someone)?"When I'm trying to answer this question, am I supposed to find the only one quality? Can I list three or more qualities? See a translation

@Conniiiiiie Thanks for your concern فدةةةةةةةةةةة

Here's a question: "What is the defining quality of ...(someone)?"

When I'm trying to answer this question, am I supposed to find the only one quality? Can I list three or more qualities?