Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Speak good english please..

Will the students please report to/at the examination hall (place) ? You report to a person and report at a place ? Conclusion : Yes, we report to the examiner at the examination hall

Is it ok to say I feel so “ stressed out ”? Why do so many say “ stressed up ”? That is wrong, isn't it? Conclusion : Actually, it’s enough to say, “ I feel stressed ”.

I always hear many children saying something like “ Betty don't want to friend me any more. ” Is this Singlish ?
Conclusion : Yes, children are fond of using these “ don't friend you / him / her ” phrases.
We hear them in the playground and in school, and they mean simply this - the end of the friendship.
While the intention behind the phrase is unmistakable, ' friend ' cannot be used as a verb. We can say “ I don't want to be your friend ” or “ Can I be your friend? ” but not “ I don't friend you ” or “ Can I friend you? ”
Also, “ Betty don't want ... ” should be “ Betty doesn't want ... ”
What the petulant child should have said is : “ Betty doesn't want to be my friend any more. ”

Below are my observations on the differences between British (BrE) and American English (AmE) terms. Could you enlighten me about these?
We’ve heard of escalators, excavators, travellators. When it comes to elevators (AmE), why it is called "lifts"(BrE)?
The word "enter" is accepted for both but not for "center" (AmE) / "centre" (BrE) The invisible "u" for words: "color", "neighbor", "labor", "harbor" (AmE) vs "colour", "neighbour", "labour", harbour" (Br).
When "sunglasses" is ok for all, however "glasses" (AmE) is "spectacles" (BrE).
The word "flour" sounds like "flower" (AmE).
"floor" (AmE) against "storey" (BrE) and "apartment" and that of "flat" (BrE), when "flat" is accepted as horizontally level for both.
Conclusion: Good information – this is how language differs in context and usage in different countries. Is there a need to explain why?

I have seen people writing "Specially for you" but lately I have also read "Especially for you". Is the latter grammatically correct? Conclusion: If something is bought only for someone for a specific purpose – you can label it “specially for you”.
“Especially” means “much more than usually or normally”. I might say, “He tried to appear especially cheerful for her sake.” The smiles were especially for her.

Please differentiate between “continually” and “continuously”.
Also, should I say "thank you for your continued/ continuous/ continual support"? Conclusion: Something that is continuous happens without stopping, uninterrupted. E.g. It rained continuously for two days.
Something that is continual happens again and again. E.g. He smoked, despite the continual warnings of his principal.
I would thank someone for his continued support.

Is “finish eating” grammatically correct? I've heard it in many conversations.
Conclusion: Standard English: “eaten” or “have eaten”.

"We are closed on public holidays." Why do we use “are” instead of “were”?
Conclusion: It should be “We are closed on public holidays” to reflect a general statement that will apply on all public holidays.

Many students and even adults speak broken English when using “my one” and “your one” which should be “mine” and “yours”.
Conclusion: True.
Hahahaha my one, my one.. Say it quickly. Hahaha.

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