For questions related to conversation or speech
33
votes
10answers
3k views
Is the usage of 'personally' in 'I personally don't like something' redundant?
What is the difference between
I personally don't like wax museums
and
I don't like wax museums
?
The adverb personally does not seem to emphasize anything here : is it redundant?
3
votes
2answers
4k views
What does “there, there” actually mean?
It came from an episode of Big Bang Theory; when Penny gets hurt, and asks Sheldon to be more comforting, he starts the conversation with "there, there."
What does that mean?
-1
votes
0answers
41 views
Response to “I'm sorry that happened to you.” [closed]
I was mugged last week and had a jaw surgery. Everybody who looks at my swollen jaw says, "I'm so sorry it happened to you," and I don't know what to say in return. What is the best response? "Thanks ...
0
votes
1answer
60 views
'I need you!' 'So do I' Is this grammatical?
Evelyn: I need you!
Sam: So do I!
Is this grammatical? What is the meaning of the response?
0
votes
2answers
92 views
what does “off-the-shelf” mean? [closed]
I am applying for a job and in my proposal my mentor commented the following.
Please explain me what it means.
ME: Finally I found something promising. Please have a look
Mentor: That's a good find ...
6
votes
7answers
3k views
How often do people say “gotta”, “wanna” or “gonna” in English speaking countries?
I learned these three words from Collins Cobuild Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.
got|ta /g'ɒtə/
Gotta is used in written English to represent the words 'got to' when they are ...
2
votes
3answers
3k views
Appropriate replacement of “nice to meet you” for online salutation?
I would like to use "nice to meet you" in an online email exchange but I feel that "meet" and "see" are not appropriate for online use. There is also a question about it.
I have also read somewhere ...
3
votes
1answer
632 views
Is “checking my résumé” ok?
Is the following sentence correct (when I call a company’s HR department)?
Could you please call me back after checking my résumé?
7
votes
2answers
19k views
Is “nice to meet you” an appropriate online salutation?
When one makes a new acquaintance with somebody in person, you may say "it was nice to meet you", e.g. when you leave. What if you make a new acquaintance over the internet, what do you say when you ...
3
votes
1answer
83 views
Asking a question to create context?
I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but here is far better than my usual territory StackOverflow.
Sometimes to start a conversation or to bring up a subject I ask a question. I ask ...
7
votes
4answers
3k views
Proper answer to “excuse me”
What is a proper reply for excuse me? Like for thank you, you can say no problem or welcome.
I don't know what a proper reply for excuse me would be.
8
votes
6answers
7k views
Is the response “I am fine, thank you. And you?” outdated?
This is what I learned from the middle school English class 10 years ago as the correct way to respond to "How are you?". The textbook was co-published by Longman, I suppose it was British English. ...
16
votes
4answers
957 views
Greeting: “Cold enough for you?”
This morning at -32C whilst collecting firewood outside my house, I called to my neighbour (brushing snow off his idling truck): "Cold enough for you?" To which he replied with a nod.
Later on, I ...
6
votes
9answers
17k views
Is there a more modern way to say “it's a pity”?
Is it okay nowadays to use the phrase "it's a pity" in the everyday conversation in the contexts like in following example:
"Please how do I get to airport?"
"It's a pity, I don't know."
If ...
0
votes
3answers
2k views
How to use “you are so lame!” or “you are so retard!” with friends? [closed]
I heard lots of these words from my colleagues.
Definitions in Dictionary do not help me much.
What I really want to know is what these words actually mean when using with friends and what situation ...
3
votes
0answers
267 views
What's the best resource for improving everyday speaking? [closed]
I'm having a job interview in a month. My writing, reading and listening are good. However, I have weak conversation skills. I need an efficient resource to improve my speaking. Any resource is ...
2
votes
5answers
841 views
“How are you” in America
People in America ask "how are you" a lot. Many people would reply with "I'm good." If I am feeling OK, I would say "I'm well." Which version is right?
5
votes
3answers
458 views
Ironic phrase like Russian’s “no, didn’t hear”
Here’s a bit of dialogue which I literally translated from Russian:
― You should get a girlfriend!
― Girlfriend? Didn’t hear. . . .
The idea of the answer is to self-ironically point out ...
5
votes
4answers
716 views
Garbage/stuff words
I've watched two interviews. One with Grace Park, one with Eliza Dushku.
What one can't miss is that Eliza uses an awful lot of garbage words (or how is it called) — um, so, like, you know, ...
24
votes
7answers
1k views
What makes “like” and “so” popular?
So, I was like, why does everyone say like and so in every sentence? Where did this trend come from, like, what started it, and is it actually grammatically correct to like, insert like into our ...
0
votes
1answer
311 views
When spelling something phonetically, how do you convey letter case? [closed]
Say you need to read someone their password over the phone and you spell it phonetically so that there is no confusion between M and N etc.
Now that is straight forward but what if the password is ...
0
votes
0answers
892 views
Proper answer to “Excuse my bad English” [closed]
What is a proper reply for "Excuse my bad English"? I was waiting in a room and the interviewer, who is French, came in and said "Good afternoon and excuse my bad English". I just don't know how to ...
0
votes
1answer
308 views
“Don't know what the name is” vs. “Don't know what it's called”
What is the difference between saying:
A: Which meal do you want, Sir. B: Number 4. I don't know what the name is.
A: Which meal do you want, Sir. B: Number 4. I don't know what it's called.
...
0
votes
1answer
100 views
Which expression isn't an old way of speaking: Fell to, Fell on, Fell onto, or Dropped to [closed]
My linguistic teacher told me I am speaking like the people who lived hundreds of years ago, when I told him, "The paper fall to the ground when I pass it by," this afternoon.
Please tell me which ...
0
votes
1answer
104 views
“It's getting close to goodbye”
Is this grammatically correct? Is there anything wrong with that sentence?
0
votes
0answers
46 views
How to reply on telephone conversation [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How to answer to 'Is this John?' on phone?
When I get a call from some sales agents/shops and they ask, 'Am I speaking with Akpa?' should I just say 'Yes,' or ...
2
votes
5answers
283 views
In what context or situation (if any) would the words “try to see me” make sense?
If there is such possible situation, please, describe it.
Please don't insert any punctuation between those words and keep their order intact.
2
votes
2answers
23k views
“All The Best” vs “Best of Luck”
I heard somewhere that if we wish someone younger than us then say "Best of luck" and if we wish someone older than us then say " All The best". I don't know how much of this is true. Will you ...
-1
votes
2answers
201 views
Meaning of “I am not for you to look into all issues” [closed]
A question asked by a team member to a party outside team.. In response to that....
Manager: (Addressing me) This is the area where we need to be self sufficient. Please think about this, how to ...
2
votes
4answers
8k views
0
votes
3answers
906 views
“Is this understanding correct?” anything more polite than this?
Do we have a more polite way to say “Is this understanding correct?”.
I often find it a little tough question to ask to clients.
Anything that sounds more polite and means the same? And also, is the ...
1
vote
0answers
294 views
What is the appropriate response to compliments [closed]
Consider a circumstance when someone compliments during a conversation saying something like 'Your voice is so lovely'.
I usually end up smiling and pushing it away. What can be the actual response ...
4
votes
2answers
3k views
What is a “high-level conversation”?
Recently I was told by a potential interviewer for a job that we would be having a "high-level conversation" soon.
I assumed at the time that she just meant a conversation with a higher-up, e.g., ...
3
votes
1answer
7k views
'May I speak to…' vs 'May I speak with…' vs 'May I talk to…' [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“Speak to” vs. “Speak with”
What is the difference between “speaking” and “talking”?
What is the ideal opening line for a phone conversation? In ...
2
votes
1answer
605 views
How to say “Go ahead, I will follow you later” in other ways?
My friends are going out for lunch and ask me to go with them.
I haven't finished my work. I will follow them 10 minutes later.
Normally, what will you say? beside "I will follow you later."
4
votes
2answers
390 views
What word describes our habit to use extremes in language, and what are its implications?
I have heard that in America, and likely elsewhere as well, we are beginning to be more gratuitous with our use of extreme words when not entirely accurate, such as the words "awesome", "always", ...
0
votes
0answers
304 views
How to Teach my self english to be fluent in short time [closed]
Please suggest me some steps and rules i should follow to learn English without going to schools or courses.
I can learn from any online tools if you suggest some, and from books, but I want some one ...
3
votes
4answers
2k views
How can I speak as though I were from the Victorian era?
I think that it would be really cool to be able to speak as though I was from the Victorian era. How can I learn to do this?
1
vote
2answers
84 views
Addressing a person with “man”
Is there any issue to address or call a person (a gentleman, of course) with man? I think the word man has a strange meaning. Which is the best way to address? Is hello enough?
4
votes
3answers
17k views
Does the phrase “fine with me” have a negative connotation?
I have always thought that you could answer "it's ok with me" or "it's fine with me" when you agree with something that somebody proposed, like a meeting time.
But apparently the phrase can have a ...
8
votes
2answers
2k views
“Also” and “as well” for conversational context
"Also" and "as well" seem to be quite similar in meaning, but I'd like to know shades in its meaning and usage, especially for everyday conversational language. What one will sound more natural and ...
1
vote
3answers
6k views
“It was great seeing you.” “You too.” Why not “Me too”?
In response to "It was great seeing you," why do people say "you, too" instead of "me, too?"
4
votes
2answers
717 views
Introductory phrases like “to tell the truth”
What is the difference between the following introductory phrases?
To tell the truth
Frankly speaking
To be honest
Is any of them more old-fashioned or formal than the others or are ...
3
votes
11answers
3k views
What's a good comeback to “obviously”?
If someone tries to sound smart in repartee by saying,
Well obviously blah blah blah
but what they said is actually wrong, then what's a good comeback to that, or what's a good way to phrase ...
2
votes
1answer
67 views
Can “And so?” serve as a request for completion or continuation of the thought?
Can "Yes. And so?" serve as a request for completion or continuation of the thought?
For example:
Merry: Jack, you can speak Japanese, French, Korean and Arabic.
Jack: Yes. And so?
0
votes
3answers
541 views
British Railway Stations - How do Brits read railway time tables? [closed]
This question is related to two others referring to "how to speak out loud 24-hour clock times".
It has been asked how do English-speaking countries that officially use the 24-hour clock system refer ...
0
votes
3answers
262 views
How common is “What happened?” when asking people to repeat what they said? How long has this been in common usage?
For several years, I have heard most young people and some adults use the phrase What happened? when they do not hear what is spoken. It appears to be used where previously several other phrases were ...
7
votes
7answers
2k views
Is it redundant to append “bye” to “speak to you later”?
Are the closing greetings "see you later", "talk to you later", and the like sufficient to end a conversation (especially a phone conversation) or must they be succeeded by "bye" or another word of ...
8
votes
5answers
316 views
Is there a word for “umming”?
Is there a word for saying "um" or "uh", etc, during speaking? Or a word for "um" and "uh", etc?
4
votes
3answers
553 views
What is the origin of 'be my guest' idiom?
I was surprised when I found out the meaning of a dialog like this:
- May I do something?
- Be my guest.
As for me, it looks really weird. Why 'be my guest' has the meaning 'do it, I don't mind'?
...
