To eat, to learn and to connect are verbs associated with success. Learning without something is learned is not possible, eating without something is eaten is impossible. Connecting something without making a connection is not imaginable.

(The description of  ‘telicity’ sounds as if it has something to do with this kind of verbs)

To eat has been used as an image to describe learning. Verónica Vázquez Zentella in The difference between learning and teaching and lots of answers to her post in http://cck11.mooc.ca/post/54820.  Suifaijohnmak brings the image to a more elaborate picture of a digesting system metaphor.  The metaphor is rich and someone should write a “Instructions to become a better teacher”-book and use this metaphor.

I like to underline one difference between eating and connecting. When we eat, some food  physically is transported, moved  and digested and used.  To connect something, means nothing moves, everything remains in its place.

When I learn to read Chinese, the Chinese language as a whole does not change, when I eat Chinese food, the food will change, disappear and will be used as energy.

When I connect my bicycle with a chain to a signpost, bicycle and signpost did not change. The only change is a better chance my bike will be there when I come back.