Questions tagged [spoken-english]
The way in which English is spoken, either formally or informally. As opposed to written usage.
657
questions
-2
votes
1answer
51 views
What does “Book skin” mean in this context? (I've got extra book skin from breastfeeding) [closed]
"I've got extra book skin from breastfeeding"
What does "book skin" exactly mean here?
0
votes
2answers
63 views
How commonly used are “sir” and “madam” in spoken English in America?
Are "sir" and "madam" considered old-fashioned in spoken English in the US? Do native speakers use these words to address their teacher, boss, or customer in conversations?
1
vote
0answers
25 views
How it is possible to change the voice of a sentence which does not have object?
There is nothing to do.
There is nothing to be done.
There is time to study.
There is nothing to be studied.
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Do native English speakers pronounce every final letter when speaking fast? [closed]
I came across situations where it looks like they don't pronounce the final letter of every word in a sentence? Personally, I feel that skipping the final letter somehow seems beautiful? What is the ...
-1
votes
0answers
26 views
How many words are stressed?
When it comes to intonation, how many words are stressed in "But, I need your ideas."?
I guess they include "but", "need", "your" and "ideas", but &...
0
votes
1answer
25 views
Difference between blow up and blow up over
I saw the meaning of blow up which is explode or anger. but could not find any reference related to blow up over.
Sentence - This was an embarrassing moment for company that blew up over social media. ...
1
vote
1answer
16 views
Difference between come up and come on up
What is the difference between come up and come on up?
I was able to check the meaning of come up here: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/come-up
but could not search for come on up.
0
votes
0answers
28 views
Intonation changes meaning
The audio includes two short conversations in which the speaker answers with different intonations of "pretty" so as to cause different meanings of the two answers. The second one means she ...
-1
votes
1answer
47 views
Is “there” often omitted in colloquial speech?
I am reading Post Office by Charles Bukowski. The writing style of the book is quite conversational and colloquial.
This sentence came up in the book.
I think he wanted to use the word “hygienics” ...
0
votes
0answers
53 views
Can “ was” and “were” be used interchangeably?
I am reading Post Office by Charles Bukowski. The writing style of the book is quite conversational and colloquial. This is a paragraph from the book.
As I stood there, the 10,000 flies began to come ...
1
vote
0answers
39 views
What's the intonation pattern of “ideas”?
The utterance of the audio is "But I need your ideas. I need two heads." The intonation pattern of "heads" completely goes down because the speaker's statement is finished. However,...
14
votes
1answer
3k views
Meaning of “I just look out and go” in “Doctors will be, walk a couple of miles every day. And I just look out and go, can't be bothered.”
From a speech by a depressed man who was told to exercise more:
And the doctors will be, just go out and do a couple of mile walk every day. And I just look out and go, can’t be bothered. Can’t be ...
0
votes
1answer
17 views
What's the difference in meaning and formality between these questions?
A. "You're feeling a little nervous, aren't you?"
B. "Feeling a little nervous, are you?"
C. "A little nervous, are you?"
My questions are:
Are B and C correct?
Is there ...
0
votes
1answer
30 views
Meaning of “The other right” and “back looping”
I was watching the sci-fi series "The Flash".
Character1 is instructing Character2 about direction:
Character1: "Turn right"
Charater2 moves in the wrong direction.
Charater1: &...
0
votes
0answers
18 views
Alternate ways to say if you want/if you want to/if you'd like
Alternate ways to say if you want/if you want to/if you'd like
I'd really appreciate if any could help me out here.
0
votes
2answers
64 views
Is there a term for when you make a mistake and exchange sounds in a word?
It happens a lot in speech and in fact happened to me an hour ago. I was talking to a friend and I had to say the word "relevant" but instead I said "revelant". "It is not ...
0
votes
0answers
16 views
Am I obliged to backshift here in this situation
Is it possible not to backshift if the situation is still the same?
He told me he has not received it if at the time of reporting he has still not received it or is it better to backshift? I think ...
0
votes
0answers
27 views
What is the intonation pattern of the sentence?
What is the intonation pattern of the sentence at 0:13 around in the clip? Does it go like this?
Moreover, does the intonation of the speakers in the clip sound like a normal daily conversation that ...
0
votes
1answer
64 views
Is the possessive 's pronounced s or z?
Is 's as a possessive pronounced as /s/ or /z/ at the end of words? Such as in "Muhammad's house".
1
vote
1answer
30 views
Can I use the answer “It better.” in this example?
Can I use the answer "It better." in this example?
'I'm sure your dedication to the job will pay off soon,' said John.
'It better,' replied his friend.
Is this dialogue correct?
I'm not ...
8
votes
1answer
1k views
What does it mean by ask a question?
Should the "ask" be in an "ing" form? Consider the following conversation,
A: I think I can ask a question on Stack Exchange.
B: What do you mean by ask a question?
Should I ...
1
vote
3answers
99 views
Dropping the /t/ sound in words like, “wanted” [duplicate]
In my experience, a lot of Americans, on many occasions, don't make the standard /t/ sound in words like "wanted," "twenty," "accidentally," "presented," "...
0
votes
3answers
42 views
I'm not really seeing/I don't really see/I can't really see?
Which one of these is correct/natural?
1)
Listen, I'm standing outside the stadium right now and I'm not really seeing any players or fans or anything. Are you sure the match was today?
2)
Listen, I'm ...
2
votes
1answer
35 views
“She does?”, “she has?” etc as rhetorical questions
I have many native English friends I talk with and I have noticed one thing among them: they use question tags (not quite question tag but more of a rhetorical question) in a different way. For ...
0
votes
1answer
38 views
Is there a phonetic change in the pronunciation of 'anybody' in this audio?
Here is audio.
The audio is from video at 2:10.
I have subtitles:
Anybody want to log on to second life and go swimming? I just build a virtual pool.
I'm an English learner. For me, it's hard to ...
0
votes
2answers
38 views
“there's a normally and we're using `two's` complement arithmetic inside our machine”
I was watching an educational lecture about programming where the instructor has said:
So, that means that they can get larger. Meaning, there's a normally and we're using two's complement arithmetic ...
8
votes
2answers
4k views
What does “Did you save room for dessert?” mean?
What does "Did you save room for dessert?" mean? I'm an English learner. I don't know what this sentence means, especially the "save room" part. Please describe its meaning for me.
-1
votes
2answers
73 views
Do the British use words like “batso” or “nutso”?
Today I encountered the word "batso" and I understood from context it meant "crazy". It interested me because it sounds like an Italian word "pazzo" which means "...
0
votes
3answers
31 views
Rephrasing using verb (prohibit)
can I rephrase " Our religion prohibit us from drinking alcohol "
to be " Our religion prohibit drinking alcohol on us", precisely I want to know if "on us" is ...
24
votes
9answers
7k views
Are you an English? Are you a British?
I once encountered a lady who seemed to come from America or the United Kingdom. When I asked Are you an American? she said no. I was reluctant to ask if she is an English because it sounded very ...
1
vote
0answers
22 views
Indirect speech for past tense
What would be the indirect speech for the sentence given below.
The teacher said,"she was sick yesterday".
Which one is correct.
The teacher said that she was sick the previous day.
The ...
2
votes
1answer
158 views
How to make syllable structure and sonority graph of “twelfths” and “grudged”?
I have an exam this week and I don't even know how to make syllable structure and sonority graph of the following words: grudged and twelfths. I was infected by COVID-19 and have not attended my ...
0
votes
2answers
16 views
“can add up” or “can't add up”?
This is what I hear from a voice in TOEFL exam:
" ... If they start cutting back the meals and we can't get what we want here on campus, well, we are going to go off campus and pay off-campus ...
0
votes
2answers
55 views
Difficult for him VS Difficult on him
I was talking about military service with my friend and I wanted to say :
My cousin just finished his military service and it was hard for him.
Then, my friend interrupted me and told me that I should ...
1
vote
2answers
781 views
He and I / Him and me / He and me / Him and I [duplicate]
A: Where would you have the perfect date?
B: In a place without people. Just him and me.
Is this written correctly?
1
vote
1answer
65 views
What's the difference in pronunciation between case-sensitive and k-sensitive?
This question is probably simple, but the rule behind it may apply generally.
My assumption is:
If the end of a word duplicate the beginning of the next word, the beginning of the next word should be ...
0
votes
1answer
6 views
use “of” alongside “aim”
I am not sure which sentence is correct:
with the aim of raising awareness
Or
With the aim to raise awareness
1
vote
1answer
50 views
Why we can't say “'this black guy” in Europe
To day, I read on News by Vietnamese. I known that Paris Saint-Germain's vs Istanbul Basaksehir Game suspended after alleged racist abuse by official.
So, he just Said: "this black guy"?
In ...
8
votes
2answers
2k views
Is “ciao” equivalent to “hello” and “goodbye” in English?
I'm from Vietnam, and I'm learning English. I remembered someone said "Ciao" to me once. I wondered if they could speak Vietnamese since "Ciao" is the same as "Chào" in ...
0
votes
0answers
19 views
Classma or classmate in spoken English
An American tutor said you should say classma(omit t) rather than classmate in spoken English. An Irish teacher told me you should never omit t in spoken English, such as but, as it is considered to ...
0
votes
2answers
39 views
What does the following sentence mean ? “Since when is …”
I saw the following sentence and I cannot understand its exact meaning.
Since when is W equal to PV ?
I do not understand the combination of "since + when".
Is it also formal or informal?
...
1
vote
1answer
47 views
“Who was… with?”, “Who was with…?”, “With whom…?”, and “Whom… with?”
Leaving to one side whether “who” is the subject or the object of the sentence, to the best of my knowledge all four questions below are considered grammatical and acceptable ways of asking who the ...
0
votes
1answer
21 views
How to say to a cashier that I want this stuff to get delivered to my home?
A supermarket near my home offers the delivery service.
How should I tell the cashier that I want these items to get delivered to my home?
I usually say "It’s for delivery" but it doesn't ...
0
votes
1answer
71 views
What is your name = Your name is Mr What?
In Mind Your Language Video I see.
Office: What is your name?
Ali: What is not my name? What is not here?
Office: Who is not here?
Ali: Mr What....
So: What is your name? = Your name is Mr What?
Who ...
13
votes
5answers
3k views
What is the grandchild of a parents's siblings called? [duplicate]
I know that my parents' siblings' child is my cousin.
But what about the grandchild of my parents' siblings?
0
votes
1answer
73 views
Spoken English for direction of a Road
I try to solve a map by reading a transcript of the map.
Map
Here I share just one part of the transcript for The Reynolds House
The sheepmarket is one of the main centers for art and history in the ...
1
vote
0answers
25 views
Suggestions to follow while tutoring online a French student who wants to improve his speaking listening skills in English? [closed]
I'll be tutoring online a french student who I think has at least an advanced intermediate level in all parts of English, and wants to improve his speaking and listening skills, specially following ...
1
vote
4answers
248 views
Can I always drop the T and the D at the end of verbs in the past (or past participle) tense when they come between two consonants sounds?
I am Brazilian and I'm trying to improve my English-speaking skills. I having a tough time linking verbs in the past tense to words starting with consonants other than T and D. I learned that many ...
-1
votes
1answer
170 views
“Someone is sitting next to me.” “Someone sits next to me.”
What is the difference between following sentences and more appropriate in a conversation.
Someone is sitting next to me.
Someone sits next to me.
0
votes
1answer
73 views
What does it mean to use the words “not” and “without” in the same sentence?
For example:
I won't study without you.
I can't finish this project without you.
Don't eat without me.
There is no way to do this without taking risks.
I didn't play this game without him.
When ...
