ENGLISH IN REAL LIFE SITUATION
ENGLISH IN REAL LIFE SITUATIONApproximately twenty years ago, I read English 900. Even today I can remember many of its sentences. However, in America what I expected to hear and what I actually heard is not the same thing. For example, when two Americans meet in the street, they seldom say, "How are you?" "Fine, thank you, and you?" Very often they say, "Hi, how are you doing?" "Pretty good." If you say "Thank you." what they reply mostly is not "That's all right." but "You are welcome." or" You bet." in this case. When someone gives you what you want, he or she will probably say, "Here you go." instead of "Here you are." If there is much noise in the classroom, an American high school teacher usually says, "May I have your attention ?" or whatever.
I guess it is because I am a language teacher that I am very sensitive about the new phenomenon of the target language in communication. The following is something that I picked up in the American communities where I once lived.
1. Some Polite Expressions:
The expression like "Please." "Excuse me." :"Thank you." are often heard in stores, restaurants and other public places where there is an exchange of services or commodities for money. For example, if a waitress brings you a cup of coffee, you say, "Thank you." If someone praises you for your good English, you are supposed to say, "Thank you." If the children have done something for their parents or a wife has done something for her husband, they will say, "Thank you." In a store, you can buy some nice "Thank you cards" to someone for a special favor. Americans say "Excuse me." when they need to pass in front of you, to leave a party or find themselves late for an appointment or ask you to say something again. The most interesting thing is, while talking to someone, a person suddenly sneezes, saying "Excuse me."
Whenever someone came to my host family and picked me up to join in their party or a picnic or othe
[1] [2] [3]