Search results for 'tag:Conversations tag:Expressions' matching tags 'Conversations' and 'Expressions'

Re: Filipinisms/Filipinoisms? Ring a bell?

Mister Micawber — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:07:37 GMT

.
I would consider this exercise damagingly prescriptive; most are neither uniquely Filipino nor wrong. However (and my comments refer to AmE/BrE):

1. Free subscription of... (Free subscription toâ¦) - prepo issue-- AmE/BrE uses the collocation subscribe to.
2. Can I speak withâ¦? (May I speak withâ¦) - To sound more polite/ask permission?-- Both OK. 'Can' is more casual but just as common.
3. Come again? (I'm sorry I didn't get quite get that / Excuse me? / I'm sorry would you please say that again?) - English trainers discourage agents to use this because they say that it could mean 'cum again')-- The English trainers are nuts. Come again is common and casual. Your examples in parentheses are overly formal for most situations.
4. It's for free! (It's free. / It's free of charge. / We're sending it to you for free.) - Filipinos have been used to saying 'It's for free'. How do I say that it should be avoided? What makes it wrong?-- Nothing makes it wrong; it's fine.
5. Hold your line/For awhileâ¦ (Would you mind if I put you on hold for a second? / Please hold) - hold your line is absurd. any comment? what about for awhile?-- I agree that 'Hold your line' is not natural in AmE/BrE. 'Please hold' or 'Could you hold, please' is the usual.
6. Open/ close the light/computer (Turn on/off the light/TV/computer) - how do I explain this? it sounds like opening/closing the tv for repair.- This seems to be a direct translation from Spanish? Tagalog? At least, it is the same error that Japanese make.
7. Do you mind waiting? Yes, I'll wait. (No, not at all. / No, I don't mind at all.) - YES is the issue. wrong response. any other feedback?-- 'Yes' is logically wrong but common when the tag ( e.g. 'I'll wait') is also present; speakers seldom have the opportunity to stop and think about the 'Do you mind?' form, and this includes native AmE/BrE speakers.
8. Anything? (Is there anything I can do for you? / How may I help you?) - fragmented, seems vague?-- Yes, it seems vague and fragmentary out of context.
9. I'll ask her an apology. (I'll apologize to her. / I should make an apology.) - this sounds illogical?-- Not a natural AmE/BrE formation.
10. We take lunch. (We eat lunch. / We have lunch (every Sunday).)-- 'Take' seems to be an occasional replacement in this context in many Englishes. It is not an egregious variation.
11. We accept repairs. (This shop repairs cars/cellphones, etc.)-- Seems fine to me.
12. We accept painting jobs. (This shop does painting jobs.)- Quite common.
13. Tuck out (Untuck)- Odd.
14. He was salvaged. (He was assassinated.)-- A new meaning for the word for me, and it is not in the dictionary. Perhaps some confusion with 'savaged'?
15. She delivered her baby yesterday. (She had her baby yesterday. / Dr. Smith delivered her baby.)-- This is fine. From the dictionary-- 'to give birth to: She delivered twins at 4 a.m. '
16. Xerox (Photocopy)-- Very common in AmE at least. Among my generation, 'to xerox' is perhaps more usual than 'to photocopy'.
17. Oppositor (Opposition member)-- A new word for me. Not a bad formation, but perhaps difficult to understand by foreigners.
18. Hand carry (Carry - on luggage)-- A new word, but reasonable.
19. It's traffic today. (Traffic is heavy.) -- It seems vague and fragmentary
20. Senatoriable (Senatorial candidate) -- Odder than #17
21. At around 2pm (At about 2pm) - around is Am? about is Brit?- Very common in AmE; it also appears with this meaning in the Cambridge dictionary.
22. I failed in Accent training. (I failed accent training.)-- A common expression, though I prefer your alternative.
23. We were under Mr. Johnson. (Mr. Johnson was our teacher.) - Filipinos are used to saying 'That student is under my class' so this filipinism has started.-- In context, 'We were under Mr. Johnson' sounds fine, while 'That student is under my class' does not.
24. My brother is taking up law. (My brother is taking law. / My brother is studying law.) -- 'Take up' is common, but means the overall intention, not just the matriculation.
25. Where are you studying? (Where do you go to school? / What school do you go to?)- 'Where are you studying' is fine.
26. Pass by my office before you go. (Drop by my office before you go.) - Brit/Am phrasal?-- Not AmE, at least. 'Stop by' or 'Drop by'.
27. We have one participant only. (We only have one participant.) - should they say 'only one participant'?-- The 'only' can go in several places; at the end is one of those places.
28. I talked to her already. (I already talked to her.) - I need help on adverb order. This confuses all Filipinos and me too. Where should adverbs be placed?- Adverbs are relatively variable in their placement. In this case, both are all OK. More interesting is that AmE uses simple past more consistently with 'yet' and 'already' than does BrE, which prefers the perfect aspect.
29. Will you be at the office at 7am? Actually. (Will you be at the office at 7am? Yes.)-- Not AmE/BrE
30. Actually, I like Jennifer Aniston. (I like Jennifer Aniston.) - Actually/basically has become Filipinos expressions.-- I wouldn't say that it is unique to Filipinos; many AmE speakers develop the habit in various contexts. Too much is too much, however.
31. As per Paul, all request forms should be signed by him. (As per Paul's instructions, all request forms should be signed by him.)-- This is common bizspeak throughout the English-speaking world.
32. Wanted: Sewer (Wanted: Tailor or seamstress)-- Yes, it is certainly open to misinterpretation! But 'seamstress' is sexist.
33. Take home (Take it home / To go. / For take out)-- 'Take home food' seems like a regional variant of 'take out food'.
34. I felt kind of tired. (I felt rather tired.)-- 'Kind of' is very common in informal AmE.
35. As to the projectâ¦ (About the projectâ¦)-- A common formality in most Englishes.
36. Thank you for that/this one. (Thank you for the information. / Thank you.) - I need to send this in a few minutes and I still couldn't think of an explanation. Phrasing sounds awkward to me. But besides getting straight to the point, why did 'for that/this one' make it wrong?-- 'One' is wrongly used; 'information' is uncountable.
37. I do love playing basketball/volleyball. (I love playing basketball/volleyball.) - this may sound right depending on the flow of the conversation, right? e.g. you don't love playing... No, I do...-- You are correct. This is called the emphatic 'do'.
38. Currently, I live in Quezon City right now. (Currently, I live in Quezon City. / I live in Quezon City.) - redundant - now and currently.- Yes, redundant.
39. Actually, I like Microsoft, Symantec and Adobe (I like Microsoft Symantec and Adobe)-- The comma is necessary if Microsoft and Symantec are different softwares.
40. As per Mon, all request forms should be signed by him. (As per Paul's instructions, all request forms should be signed by him.)-- This is the same as #31, and OK.
41. I do apologize (I apologize.)-- This is fine indeed. It is the same as #37, and is more polite than your bracketed alternative.
.

Filipinisms/Filipinoisms? Ring a bell?

samwalker — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:26:28 GMT

Has anyone heard about Filipinisms/Filipinoism?

Hi guys. In the call center industry, it refers to terms/phrases used by Filipinos in speaking and in writing (sometimes). They gave me a list with corrections and assigned me to send one Filipinism with corrections weekly. However, in my opinion, sending the filipinism and a correction seems not enough.
I want to include reasons/explanations why a certain Filipinism is wrong but I'm neither a teacher nor a native Brit/Am so I don't know how to exlain each entry/correction.
I need your feedback for each entry (What makes them wrong? Is it grammatically incorrect? etc... How do I explain to agents?)
Here is their list:

"Filipinisms are words or phrases that are ususally grammatically incorrect or are almost always results of transliteration."

Filipinism (Correct Usage)

1. Free subscription of... (Free subscription toâ¦) - prepo issue
2. Can I speak withâ¦? (May I speak withâ¦) - To sound more polite/ask permission?
3. Come again? (I'm sorry I didn't get quite get that / Excuse me? / I'm sorry would you please say that again?) - English trainers discourage agents to use this because they say that it could mean 'cum again')
4. It's for free! (It's free. / It's free of charge. / We're sending it to you for free.) - Filipinos have been used to saying 'It's for free'. How do I say that it should be avoided? What makes it wrong?
5. Hold your line/For awhileâ¦ (Would you mind if I put you on hold for a second? / Please hold) - hold your line is absurd. any comment? what about for awhile?
6. Open/ close the light/computer (Turn on/off the light/TV/computer) - how do I explain this? it sounds like opening/closing the tv for repair.
7. Do you mind waiting? Yes, I'll wait. (No, not at all. / No, I don't mind at all.) - YES is the issue. wrong response. any other feedback?
8. Anything? (Is there anything I can do for you? / How may I help you?) - fragmented, seems vague?
9. I'll ask her an apology. (I'll apologize to her. / I should make an apology.) - this sounds illogical?
10. We take lunch. (We eat lunch. / We have lunch (every Sunday).)
11. We accept repairs. (This shop repairs cars/cellphones, etc.)
12. We accept painting jobs. (This shop does painting jobs.)
13. Tuck out (Untuck)
14. He was salvaged. (He was assassinated.)
15. She deliveredher baby yesterday. (She had her baby yesterday. / Dr. Smith delivered her baby.)
16. Xerox (Photocopy)
17. Oppositor (Opposition member)
18. Hand carry (Carry - on luggage)
19. It's traffic today. (Traffic is heavy.)
20. Senatoriable (Senatorial candidate)
21. At around 2pm (At about 2pm) - around is Am? about is Brit?
22. I failed in Accent training. (I failed accent training.)
23. We were under Mr. Johnson. (Mr. Johnson was our teacher.) - Filipinos are used to saying 'That student is under my class' so this filipinism has started.
24. My brother is taking up law. (My brother is taking law. / My brother is studying law.)
25. Where are you studying? (Where do you go to school? / What school do you go to?)
26. Pass by my office before you go. (Drop by my office before you go.) - Brit/Am phrasal?
27. We have one participant only. (We only have one participant.) - should they say 'only one participant'?
28. I talked to her already. (I already talked to her.) - I need help on adverb order. This confuses all Filipinos and me too. Where should adverbs be placed?
29. Will you be at the office at 7am? Actually. (Will you be at the office at 7am? Yes.)
30. Actually, I like Jennifer Aniston. (I like Jennifer Aniston.) - Actually/basically has become Filipinos expressions.
31. As per Paul, all request forms should be signed by him. (As per Paul's instructions, all request forms should be signed by him.)
32. Wanted: Sewer (Wanted: Tailor or seamstress)
33. Take home (Take it home / To go. / For take out)
34. I felt kind of tired. (I felt rather tired.)
35. As to the projectâ¦ (About the projectâ¦)
36. Thank you for that/this one. (Thank you for the information. / Thank you.) - I need to send this in a few minutes and I still couldn't think of an explanation. Phrasing sounds awkward to me. But besides getting straight to the point, why did 'for that/this one' make it wrong?
37. I do love playing basketball/volleyball. (I love playing basketball/volleyball.) - this may sound right depending on the flow of the conversation, right? e.g. you don't love playing... No, I do...
38. Currently, I live in Quezon City right now. (Currently, I live in Quezon City. / I live in Quezon City.) - redundant - now and currently.
39. Actually, I like Microsoft, Symantec and Adobe (I like Microsoft Symantec and Adobe)
40. As per Mon, all request forms should be signed by him. (As per Paul's instructions, all request forms should be signed by him.)
41. I do apologize (I apologize.)

Seeing and hearing their errors frustrate me. I wanna help them and tell them why each entry is wrong/grammatically incorrect/vague/illogical/awkwardly phrased/etc. but I'm not a teacher.
I would appreciate if someone could add exlanation to every entry...

Re: As I'll Ever Be.

Mister Micawber — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 11:10:19 GMT

.
The complete expression is 'I am ready as I'll ever be'. It means' I am most ready now; I will be less ready later'. Such cliched phrases can easily be shortened in conversation.
.

Re: I think it will be better if we can meet tomorrow

Avangi — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 03:02:00 GMT

Jackson6612
I think it will be better if we ~~can~~ meet tomorrow or the day after ~~tomorrow~~. I believe Jane will also be there because she has some leaves before he her next exam. I ~~will~~ would prefer to meet in the evening , and I believe this will also be your preference ~~because at that time you will have some spare time~~. We can meet at the Station because your home is located nearby. Please let me know if this suits you.

Hi Jackson, I notice that many posters use expressions like "she has some leaves." I'm not sure if this is British, or if it comes from translation. In the US, "leave" used to be common in the military, and we use it for special purpose time off, like "administrative leave" or "pregnancy leave" (I can't think of the right adjective) or "bereavement leave." Otherwise, we usually just say, "time off."

The clause about the spare time seems to be more trouble than it's worth.

You may wish to keep the "can," depending on what conversation has gone before. If this is the first mention of an evening meeting, the "can" would probably be more polite. If the possibility of an evening meeting has already been acknowledged by your correspondent, I think it's better without it.

Best regards, - A.

Re: many times/ many a time

Tanit — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 14:04:52 GMT

This thread reminded me of something I've wanted to ask here for a long time.

I've encountered the expression "Many's the time" only once: it's the opening sentence of the song "American Tune" by Simon and Garfunkel.
As far as I understand, it's a synonym for "Many times" and "Many a time".
Is it an American idiom? How would you classify it (poetic/formal/stiffy...)? Would you use it an ordinary conversation?

Thank you!

Re: (inversion) What need had he of

Mr Wordy — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 03:32:57 GMT

CalifJim
Not British either, then? Or not any longer, at least?

These are my perceptions.

"I haven't a" is used in certain expressions such as "I haven't a clue" or "I haven't a care in the world" (probably this is the same in the US?), but it is not natural with arbitrary nouns. For example, almost no one these days would say "I haven't a good pen", "I haven't a car", etc. (It would almost always be "I haven't got a good pen" or "I don't have a good pen".)

"Have you" risks sounding stilted in conversation, and most people would naturally say "Have you got" or "Do you have". In writing it's more widely used, but is getting rarer I would say. For some reason, it seems to work with some nouns but not with others. The specific example you gave -- "Have you a friend?" -- is not at all natural to me, yet "Have you any reason for saying that?" seems much more natural. Possibly it works less well with concrete nouns; I'm not sure.

If you believe Google stats, restricted to ".uk":

"have you a friend": 1,150
"do you have a friend": 48,200

"have you any reason": 169
"do you have any reason": 155

"Has he a friend?" seems about as unlikely to me as "Have you a friend?". The other four sentences that you gave are all very unlikely in modern usage.

Re: sarcastic meaning

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:09:53 GMT

In most conversations, when the speaker is being sarcastic, it will be very clear. The first case, "This is really delicious food," would most likely be said when the food in question is very obviously NOT good. In a lot of cases, this will be accompanied by intonation and facial expression that suggest scorn or derision, or general negative feelings. However, a person can also be sarcastic using positive intonation in a manner that makes it clear that the speaker is faking. Some people, on the other hand, have a very dry sense of humor and will offer almost no clues, intonation or facial expression, to make it clear that he or she is using sarcasm. In the last case, the speaker will rely on either the context or the listener's familiarity with the speaker. (I tend to be like the third one.)

The second case, "this job is the worst, isn't it?" is a lot easier. Here, the speaker says something negative in a very positive way. It is usually intoned more like a positive statement than a question. Again, there are exceptions, and some people will, for example, pretend the job IS "the worst" and rely on an obviously pleasant situation to make it clear that he or she is kidding.

Re: I am thinking of cutting my hair short. vs. I am thinking of getting my hair cut short.

Mr Wordy — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 02:20:30 GMT

What you learned is correct.

However, in everyday conversation or informal chatty writing, people aren't as precise as the grammar books, and it's possible that someone might use the first sentence even if someone else was going to cut their hair. It's the sort of thing that happens.

The converse seems less likely though. I can't really imagine anyone saying "getting my hair cut" if they were planning to cut it themselves.

You asked for comments on your writing:

From what I learned from ["from" is not wrong, but "in" would IMO be better here, if only to avoid repetition of "from"] my English grammar class, the first sentence is not quite right unless you ~~actually cut~~ are actually going to cut your hair by yourself. But I ~~saw~~ have seen in quite a few cases that the first expression - not exactly the same, rather of that sort - ~~are~~ is used ~~meaning the~~ to mean the same as the second ~~sentence~~. Is this something that is ~~grammartically~~ grammatically incorrect but used often, or is it just plain wrong?

Thanks in advance... one more thing... if you found ["found" is not wrong, but "find" seems better to me] any errors in my writing above, please correct me. It would be greatly appreciated.

Re: How would I know

Clive — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:27:53 GMT

Hi,

1/ In the conversation below ,does "How would I know?" mean "How should I know ?" and "How was I to know?"

A: Are credit cards accepted in that country ?
B:How would I know?
You might also like to note that this answer can often be given quite rudely, with the approximate meaning of 'That's a stupid question, and I'm not interested in helping you'. If it's intended rudely, the facial expression, tone of voice and general relationship between the two speakers will usually make the intention pretty clear.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: What "does makes up to one" mean?

CalifJim — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:43:59 GMT

I would judge the expression to be literary. I don't believe it's used in modern English.

It means to approach and greet someone in a friendly way, perhaps introducing oneself and beginning to engage in conversation.

See ingratiate.