Questions about spoken English.
-4
votes
1answer
91 views
Do people with a lisp write in the same way they pronounce?
Just curious to know whether people having a lisp (speech defect) write in the same way as they pronounce the word. For example they pronounce s as /θ/ and z as /θ/. So, do they write 's' as 'th' like ...
1
vote
6answers
198 views
Polite/professional alternative to 'It turns out'
I have been tasked with coming up with a nicer phrase to use than 'It turns out'. It is to be used in situations like the below:
'It turns out' that we cannot...
'It turns out' that we ...
4
votes
1answer
169 views
Is it necessary to begin a new paragraph after a person speaks?
When I was in school, I was taught to always begin a new paragraph after a quotation or after a speaker concludes a segment of dialogue. However, in recent years, I have seen authors abandon this ...
3
votes
1answer
383 views
In which accent does Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) speak?
I don't know if Stack Exchange is the right place to ask this question but I am very keen to find out:
Which accent has Brad Pitt adopted in the movie Inglourious Basterds for the role of Lieutenant ...
-2
votes
2answers
216 views
“Night” and “knight” in speech
In English as Germanic language K is ignored at the beginning of word in speech. Night and knight have to be pronounced similar. Then how to differentiate?
1
vote
2answers
111 views
Does anybody use the elative degree in modern speech? [closed]
I read that English has the following degree of comparison: positive, comparative, superlative (with definite article) and elative (with indefinite article). I'm wondering, whether sentences like "it ...
0
votes
1answer
91 views
Is “be-gruntled” a word? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When does a word become a ‘word’?
Someone in work asked about the welfare of my girlfriend, to which I replied "She's fine, a little be-gruntled but fine." People knew ...
2
votes
0answers
77 views
Appearance of “is is” in speech patterns [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“The thing is, is that…”
Why do some people say “the reason is is that,” with “is” twice in a row?
For the past few years I've been noticing a curious phenomenon. ...
3
votes
1answer
102 views
Should the abbreviation 'i.e.' be used in speech?
I often hear people use the abbreviation 'i.e.' while speaking. It does not seem right to me. Similarly with 'e.g.' — I would always say 'for example' rather than 'e.g.'.
So is it appropriate to ...
4
votes
5answers
382 views
The word “dear” in public speech
I am a member of a Toastmaster club in the Czech republic where people work on their public speaking skills. It is a usual to open a speech by
Dear fellow Toastmasters, dear guests,...
It is a ...
3
votes
2answers
422 views
Usage of “to be done” [closed]
The following is a transcript of the well-known recorded lecture by Prof. Michael Sandel of Harvard University (the cited portion starts at 43:36):
The only argument this painter makes is that the ...
1
vote
1answer
231 views
Usage of “ain't” in formal conversation
Is it okay to use ain't in formal conversation?
I know ain't can be used for am not, is not, are not, have not, has not. So if I can use it in day-to-day life, it will be easier for me I guess.
5
votes
1answer
396 views
Relative pronouns after prepositions: is it okay to use them in speech?
Consider the following usages of relative pronouns:
The lecturer introduces a study in which participants were asked
to choose one attractive picture.
At the university I met famous professors, many ...
4
votes
3answers
655 views
Use of American-Indian “How” in British English
These are excerpts from Le Carré's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy:
Jerry Westerby screwed up his face in perplexity. 'That's what the boy wanted to tell me, you see, George. That's what he was ...
1
vote
3answers
156 views
How should the first “o” in “operator” be pronounced?
I've always been taught that a vowel before a double consonant following another vowel should have a short sound. Conversely, there are many situations where a vowel preceding a single consonant and ...
1
vote
2answers
281 views
“See you all” or “see you everyone”
When leaving from work, how to say "see you" to colleagues? Which one is appropriate, "see you all" or "see you everyone"?
1
vote
1answer
76 views
Is there a Public Library that lends English Audiobooks? [closed]
In germany there are now a plethora of public libraries where I can borrow Audiobooks. I can search and download DRM protected files and can use them for a couple of days or weeks before they get ...
2
votes
0answers
218 views
How to place pauses in a sentence when speaking? [closed]
I would like to know how to place pauses in a sentence when speaking (besides pauses on comma and semicolon) to deliver a better message to audiences. I researched this for a while but I don't find ...
5
votes
1answer
850 views
Punctuation of direct speech, edge cases
I recently learned that I have developed a consistent, but entirely wrong approach to punctuating direct speech in fiction. I am in the unenviable position of trying to relearn.
Previously I wrote ...
3
votes
1answer
122 views
Pronunciation problem with “park” and “walk”. Is there a name for this “phenomenon”?
Now and then, I struggle to say a pair of words such as "park and walk". It may come out as "park and wark" or "pork and walk". It occurs generally when the two words are close together in a ...
3
votes
4answers
477 views
“You know” in spoken English [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How to use “you know”
Why is "you know" most commonly used in spoken English. Or to phrase it differently, why do native speakers use this expression a lot ...
4
votes
2answers
437 views
Simple present vs. present continuous
What is the difference between saying:
Are you still working there?
Do you still work there?
Which is more common in spoken vs written English?
Google books returned results for both of ...
1
vote
2answers
1k views
“Do my best” vs. “my level best” [closed]
Is there any difference between these two sentences? Which one is grammatical in speech?
I will do my best.
I will do my level best.
11
votes
3answers
4k views
Difference between “asleep” and “sleeping”
I know asleep and sleeping are interchangeable in many cases. But in these situations, I am not sure.
I read stories to my son after he went to bed.
After reading the stories, I stayed for some time ...
2
votes
1answer
234 views
What are some effective ways a foreign speaker can improve pronunciation in English? [closed]
How can a foreign speaker (where a
"foreign speaker" speaks English as a second language) effectively improve their spoken English by improving their pronunciation and reducing their foreign accent.
...
0
votes
0answers
167 views
“SEO” abbreviation - how to articulate for different dialects [closed]
I read and understand the answer to the question "Is it right to call it “SEO” and how do you pronounce it?" here, but the canonical pronunciation, in my case, failed when I talk to people of Latin ...
2
votes
2answers
244 views
What does “I fort” stand for?
In Terry Pratchett's The Truth, Mr Tulip says "I fort" 5 times.
"I fort that at the start"
"I fort so!" (twice)
"I fort you said this city was a -ing pushover?"
"I fort we wanted to find.."
Is ...
-1
votes
1answer
184 views
Indirect speech, past tense use
A member's post on another site has the structure:
This a post I put on [site] and [member] suggested I posted here too.
(emphasis mine)
It appears that being reported speech, post is required to ...
-2
votes
3answers
188 views
What is the deeper meaning of the phrase “as I was just saying to X”? [closed]
This is the scenario I'm thinking of. Person A talks to person B about something. Then person C joins them. For some reason Person A says something to Person C that they were just talking about with ...
7
votes
1answer
362 views
What do people usually mean when they ask “Do you have a family?”
When American people ask you, "Do you have a family?" does that mean "Do you have any children?" or just "Are you married?"
0
votes
3answers
1k views
Are there rules of pronunciation for words in English? [closed]
I know that there is at least one language we can pronounce based on the word's form (Vietnamese) which means that once you know how to write it, you will also know how to pronounce it.
But in ...
1
vote
2answers
388 views
Why/When need some kind of short spelling or pronunciation?
In regular usage, nowadays we use short spellings of words in speaking or writing.
For example:
They are in the cinema. => They're in the cinema.
We have been waiting for me. => We've been waiting ...
0
votes
3answers
1k views
“Unconscious” versus “nonconscious” in everyday dialogue
These words have subtle distinctions in related research fields, but even there are often considered interchangeable or just an matter of tradition/trendiness in a particular field.
Since I am a bit ...
0
votes
3answers
197 views
Should laconism be favored over clarity? [closed]
One might argue that to be as understandable as possible, one should use common words and phrases. On the other hand, unnecessary verbosity is often frowned upon.
Stop acting so childish and ...
1
vote
3answers
1k views
How can I learn to speak with various accents? [closed]
How can I learn to speak with appropriate English accents when reading books aloud? For example, are there simple rules for each accent?
My question is general question, but my application is ...
7
votes
3answers
735 views
Why do some people say “the reason is is that,” with “is” twice in a row?
Does anybody have any conjectures as to why this quirk is so common? For an example, see this TED talk by Kevin Slavin.
10
votes
6answers
5k views
How should one say times aloud in 24-hour notation?
A couple years ago, I switched all my personal clocks 24-hour notation. I live in the US, and 24-hour time is used very, very rarely. So, I haven't been able to listen to anyone say times aloud.
...
2
votes
4answers
605 views
What's a Denver accent sound like?
I'm trying to learn to imitate the accent of someone from a slummy area of Denver (for a roleplaying game). Info on different local accents is welcome; a sound bite would be especially useful.
If you ...
9
votes
4answers
403 views
Intention of rising pitches
I have been wondering about the rising pitch used in almost every sentence, by especially young Americans.
What is the purpose/intention of
rising pitch except in questions?
Is it friendly and ...
35
votes
5answers
4k views
What term can be used to describe Yoda's speech?
What is Yoda's speech called? Is there a particular name for it (such as "dangling...")?
2
votes
1answer
110 views
Term for 'baby-talk'
So many newly-weds have this practice of calling one another ridiculous but affectionate names i.e. honey-bunch, or 'bunny-boo' etc.
Is there a single-word term for this practice?
14
votes
4answers
320 views
“They had whatted the car?”
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language says this:
Echo what is syntactically very different from the interrogative pronoun what. It can replace words of more or less any category, and can ...
23
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 ...
5
votes
6answers
2k views
Do native speakers understand all the words in songs? [closed]
I'm wondering if native speakers understand all the words in songs? For me it is very very difficult, as I can understand only 30% of words and phrases in songs usually. While listening to people's ...
2
votes
8answers
6k views
Indirectly saying “I love you”
I want tell to someone "I love you", but not in that manner (indirectly but to get that idea). How can I do it in a modern way?
6
votes
2answers
1k views
Why is most North American speech rhotic?
Most North American speech is rhotic—why is that? Does it come from the early English settlers or perhaps from the Irish settlers?
1
vote
5answers
228 views
Should I pause before or after the “that” of an object clause?
For example, if I want to pause in speech, which way is better:
I {a very long adverb phrase} realized | that English is so
useful but not easy to master.
or
I {a very long adverb phrase} ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
Answering your own question
I have been wondering if this particular speaking device had a specific name. My wife uses a speaking technique where, instead of just making a statement, she presents it in the form of a question, ...
4
votes
5answers
702 views
Is it bad behavior to add filler words such as “so”, “um” in business speak?
Sometimes when I speak with my fellows at work, I start my sentences with "so" or "um". I don't know if this a bad behavior in business speak or not? If so, how can I get rid of those filler words?
4
votes
5answers
3k views
What are the conventional words for characters (A-Z)?
I have just read the newest post of DOGHOUSEDIARIES, and I am wondering whether the words for characters are fixed in the USA or the UK, as I am not a native English speaker.
For example:
A as in ...
