Internet English Resources / EnglishIsFun -lessons

gerardM a écrit:

MurielB a écrit:Oh Gérard, we need time to learn those lists I will read them anyway

Muriel, never good to learn by heart.
We have to learn like babies do: repetitions and uses will make us remember.

I guess it is good advice when we have frequent opportunities to speak/listen/read English.
I personally use English daily to all day long.

We all can see why your English is so good !

> We all can see why your English is so good !
Muriel, I don't consider my English to be good.

My English level was just acceptable despite many individual lessons with British native teachers.
In 1999, I got an American girlfriend (as I could afford it) and decided to specialize in American and why not, emigrate to the US and live with her. I took individual lessons with Norma who is a famous American teacher in Great Paris and took exams to evaluate my progress.
Mainly due to 9-11 event (in the beginning of 2011, I remember saying to Carole that I didn't feel secure in the US), my project partly collapsed.
I hesitated thinking of a German girlfriend but...
I went on with my project to thoroughly study American and will stop only when I am able to become a spy LOL ie never; this explains why I keep learning American and American only (and not German, Italian, Russian).

Hi Gérard
I understand why you specialize in American English an American English only. Do you know the joke "What is a polyglot ?"
It is somebody who poorly speaks English, German, Spanish, Italian, etc.
For me I think that it is important to be broad-minded and take interest in all the cultures of the world. that is as many as possible

Muriel,
Studying American doesn't prevent me from being interested in other languages and other cultures including the evolution of homo since they appeared on Earth. I can read German and Italian fairly well (not Russian).
As for me I prefer to be advanced at English than a typical French person for oodles of languages, unable to communicate except with other French speaking pidgins.

Studying American doesn't prevent me from being interested in other languages and other cultures including the evolution of homo since they appeared on Earth. I can read German and Italian fairly well (not Russian).

Hi Gérard I have read all your posts about language evolution in the multicultural lounge and about different languages and different cultural codes. They help me trying to be broad-minded.

Hi Gérard, I find this text very interesting because the context helps to memorize all the expressions tx

Hi Gérard
15.32=>"Fifteen and thirty two" means in American English that 15 is the whole number and  32  the decimal part.

Muriel,
Are you sure about the "and"?
I cannot say if it is everywhere but I can say that in some countries they read "fifteen point three two".

Could you find out the 2 differences b/w Am and Brit English in the picture?

fifteen point three two".

I didn't know and I am very confused with numbers. I give in. Can you tell me the answer please ?

MurielB a écrit:... I give in. Can you tell me the answer please ?

I guess you're speaking about the "2 differences", right?

1- of course, UK metres -> US meters

2- 623   UK six hundred and twenty three / US six hundred twenty three

Thanks Gérard I have also read that in US English when there is "and" the number after "and"  is  decimal. Is it true ?

MurielB a écrit:... in US English when there is "and" the number after "and"  is  decimal. Is it true ?

You teach me something Muriel; I wouldn't be surprised thirty two and fifty meaning thirty two (dollars) and fifty (cents).

For once, I have taught you something Gérard, I am very pleased !

Hi Gérard, everyone !
Tied up means=>busy, occupied, engaged, I easily guess the meaning but I have not yet used the expression  !

MurielB a écrit:Hi Gérard, everyone !
Tied up means=>busy, occupied, engaged, I easily guess the meaning but I have not yet used the expression  !

Hi Muriel,
"busy" is the minimum...
I mean that tied up rather means "very busy/overbusy".

Ok "overbusy" is better !

MurielB a écrit:Ok "overbusy" is better !

A better word is prolly overwhelmed.

True ! by the way prolly is a word I never use. This word must be American English !

Hi Muriel,
I guess "prolly" is Australian.
It illustrate what I described a few days ago: Aussies and Kiwies cannot put up with words tht are not 2 syllables long.
"Prolly" takes after "PRObabLY".

Interesting to know. Tx

Literary colloquialism for "probably", most likely first used in print in John Kennedy Toole's Confederacy of Dunces, (1980), in the speech of one of the book's characters, the mother of the protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly. The use of the word is meant to reflect the speech typical of white working-class residents of New Orleans, Louisiana.
That prolly is the reason he left in the first place.

A spoken colloquialism that existed pre-internet, despite what many people claim.

"Prolly" is a clipped pronunciation of "probably"; compare with "g'day" as a clipped pronunciation of "good day", or "gonna" as a common spoken shortening of "going to".

Certainly non-standard, but not necessarily indicative of the writer's laziness. For some, writing in this manner mimics their natural speech pattern/dialect.
She said she'd prolly come over after she's finished relaxin' at the beach.

(spoken example) "I'm prolly gonna head down to Toranna {Toronto} for the May 2-4."

'Probably' as said by people who live in the delusion of having an infinite amount of swag.
Chinoy : "Hi, I'm Chinoy. Prolly I'm busy right now. Why don't you leave me a message?"

(Urban dictionary)

Gerard when there are many clipped pronunciations in a speech we have to be all ears don't we ? It's so difficult to understand !