Cars And Climate

From Twitter:
A: __ ? I saw a movie on #GlobalWarming; scientists say we shouldn’t idle our engines. Each car matters. __ ?
B: Oh, come on! How much damage can one car do?
A: Many folks do it; the carbon adds up.
B: Pft.
A: Be responsible!

① say
② did you know that
③ you know what
④ listen

Answers And Explanation
You know what? You know what? (Answer Choice 3) means, “Do you want to know something,” and what follows after this expression is the new information; in this case: I saw a movie on Global Warming.
Each car matters.

Did you know that? (Answer Choice 2) means “did you know that fact that I just told you about?”

Friends at A Smokey Izakaya

From Twitter

Clerk: I __ go. I __ get up early; I’m __ to meet my boss early–and, I __ stop drinking, eating so much pork.

Clerk’s Foreign Friend (a vegetarian wearing a gas mask who sipped one beer all night): Cool.

① must
② have to
③ supposed to
④ should

Answers And Explanation:
I have to go. (Answer 2) Have to shows obligation.
I should get up early; (Answer 4) Should shows obligations we want to resist
I’m supposed to meet my boss early (Answer 3) Supposed to precedes obligations others are expecting.
–and, I must stop drinking, eating so much pork. (Answer 1) Must introduces intentions or obligations with moral- or beneficial- imperatives.

続ける: Continue….vs Keep vs Go on

The cop said “Carry on.”

From Twitter:
Choose:
Peter: So then I — wait, can I have another beer?
Bartender: One beer comin’ up.
Paul: __ your story; I wanna know the rest.
Peter: Where was I?
Mary: You were gonna tell us what happened next.
Paul: Yeah, __!
Peter: So, the cop said; __

a. carry on
b. go on
c. continue

Answers:
c, b and a

Look/Explanation:
Peter: So then I — wait, can I have another beer?
Bartender: One beer comin’ up.
Paul: Continue your story; I wanna know the rest.
Peter: Where was I?
Mary: You were gonna tell us what happened next.
Paul: Yeah, Go on! Go on means ‘Go on’ means ”keep telling your story.”
Peter: So, the cop said; carry on. ‘Carry on‘ sounds official and means go continue doing what you were doing (but can be casual, too–meaning the same thing as ”go on”–but this is less common.)

photo: by Elevate
photo: Clay Banks

使い分け: Keep On vs Keepin’ On

From Twitter:

Fill in:
Boss to Staff:
That’s good; __ doing it that way; when you’ve finished, __ the work from yesterday.

a. continuing doing
b. keep on
c. keeping doing
d. keep doing
e. keeps
f. keeps on

Girl to Mother about her annoying brother:
I said ”stop,” Mom, but he __ doing it!

Answers:
Sentence 1:
First Answer: b – That’s good; _keep on_ doing it that way;
Second Answer: a & d – when you’ve finished, _ keep on/continue doing _ the work from yesterday.

Sentence 2:
e – I said ”stop,” Mom, but he _keeps_ doing it!
f – I said ”stop,” Mom, but he _keeps on_ doing it!

Explanation:
Sentence 1
First Answer: That’s good; _keep on_ doing it that way;
a. continuing doing (‘continuing doing …’ – No.) We need the present Tense
b. keep on (keep on doing – Yes.)
c. keeping doing (keeping doing doing…’? – No.) Two ‘ing’ forms = bad style
d. keep doing (keep doing doing…’? – No.) Two ‘ing’ forms = bad style
e. keeps (keeps doing doing…’? –No.) We don’t need a 3rd Person verb + ‘ing`? No.
f. keeps on (keeps on doing…? – No.) We don’t need a 3rd Person verb.

Second Answer: a & d
When you’ve finished, _ continue doing _ the work from yesterday.
OR:
When you’ve finished, keep doing the work from yesterday.

a. continuing doing the work from yesterday. Yes.
b. keep on the work from yesterday. No. This one sort of makes sense but is dialectical.
c. keeping doing the work from yesterday. No. The basic verb and the gerund are mirroring each other in the ‘ing’ form so it is bad style.
d. keep doing the work from yesterday. Yes.
e. keeps the work from yesterday. No. The meaning here is totally different and not consistent with the context; it also suggests a 3rd person subject.
f. keeps on the work from yesterday. No. The meaning here is totally different and not consistent with the context. It also suggests a 3rd person subject.

Explanation:
Sentence 2
I said ”stop,” Mom, but he _keeps on_ doing it!
a. continuing doing (‘…continuing doing doing it’? – No.) – 2 ‘do’s? No. ‘continues going’ would be okay, but ‘continuing’ without a “be verb”; No.

b. keep on (‘He keep on doing it’? No.) – ‘Keep’ needs an ‘s’ in the 3rd Person Singular form, and it is that because of ‘he.’
c. keeping doing (‘He keeping doing…’? No.) – Two ‘ing’ forms = bad style
d. keep doing ‘Keep’ needs an ‘s’ in the 3rd Person Singular form, and it is that because of ‘he’, and again, two ‘ing’ forms?
e. keeps (‘He keeps doing it’? – Yes.) This is correct.
f. keeps on (‘He keeps on doing it’? – Yes.)

By vs. Of

Hello!
は?Choose:
It is thought that the pyramids of Egypt were built __ slaves and made __ with stone.

a. of
b. by
c. about
e. for
f. from

Answers:
The answers are b., ‘by‘ and a., ‘of’.

Explanation:

Things are made by people and of materials; so, pictures painted by Da Vinci were made of canvas, paint and oil. A house is built by a construction team is constructed of wood, cement, brick and mortar and tiles–or whatever. Many products are made of plastic by machines.

英語の使役形のクイズ (The Causative)

From Twitter:

A: Jan won’t brush.

B: __ her do it before TV. (1.)

A: She won’t.

B: And the new tooth paste?

A: She hates it, and she’s always on her phone.

B: Get her a new app; that’ll __ her to do it! (2.)

A: I tried.

B: __ her do it by saying no phone. (3.)

Choices:
a. make

b. get

c. have

The answers are:
1. have

2. get

3. make

EXPLANATION

Sometimes we need someone to do something. When we ask and that person does it, we say we have or had that person do it for us:

Example 1
Mary: Did you get your hair cut? (We don’t usually cut our own hair.)
Nancy: Yeah. I had Sweeney do it–at Super Kuts.
Mary: Sweeney did a good job. Maybe I should have my hair done there.

Example 2
Mom had the repairman fix the washing machine on Saturday.

In the above two examples we can use ‘have’ or ‘get’ interchangeably–but sometimes we have to persuade (convince) someone to do something. In this case we use “get” exclusively:

Example 3
I couldn’t get myself to quit smoking–even after I learned that there is nuclear radiation in cigarettes. Well–it was winter and very cold, so I started keeping my cigarettes in the garage! Eventually, I grew tired of putting on my shoes and coat just to have a smoke–and I got sick of the cold, outside; so I began smoking less and less, and finally I just quit! That’s how I got myself to do it!

Example 4

Little John John wouldn’t clean up his toys after playing, so his father, Jack, promised to read to John John a story if John John would clean up. John John loved stories, so he started to put away his toys after playing, and Jack kept his promise of reading to him. That is how Jack got Jon Jon to always clean up his toys.

Finally, we sometimes have to force people to do something; in this case we use the word make:

Example 5

The police made the bank robber give up by shooting the money bag out of his hand. The thief was so frightened that he dropped his gun, raised his hands and surrendered.

In the Twitter quiz from today, parents are discussing their daughter, Jan–who will not brush her teeth. One parent suggests, that the other parent have Jan do it before watching TV. This means he is saying ask or tell her expecting her to do it. There is no persuasion or force.

Then the other parent says Jan will not do it. So, persuasion is suggested: Get Jan to cooperate by promising she can have a new phone app. That won”t work. The other parent tried that.

Finally, force is suggested: Make Jan brush her teeth by saying ‘no TV if you don’t brush your teeth it.’ 

Usually ‘make’ is used in more forceful situations, perhaps violent ones, but I did not want to say the parents would hit Jan; violence is never a good motivator for raising healthy children.

What’s so Is It Funny?

. From: Twitter

A. What are you ______ at?

B. Nothing.

A. Really? What’s so funny, then?

B. What makes you think I was _______ at you?

A. You were looking right at me.

B. Was I?

A. Yes. So at what then?

B. The spider on your shirt!

A. Aah!

a. thinking

b. laughing

c. looking

d. staring

The answers are

b. laughing for the first and third statements

The reason is clear if we look at the third statement (a question): ”What’s so funny?’

Culture:
Be careful. When a native-speaker asks “what’s so funny?” be sure to look at his or her face. Does he or she look angry? ‘What’s so funny?’ is not always a light, rhetorical question; it could be a challenge coming from his or her perception that you are laughing at him or her. If you hear, ‘Ill give you something to laugh about’, a fight could be coming.

Someone or Some People?

From Twitter

Jess The Old Secretary: __________ came today to see you–a new person.
Bill The New Doctor: Without an appointment?
Jess: Yes; sometimes __________ come in off the street to check us out.
a. Someone
b. Some people
c. anyone
ANSWERS

The answers are (in order):

1st someone*

2nd: (some) people**

*Though not always, someone often applies to a specific unknown person;

“Someone came in today and asked about electric cars.”

EXCEPTION: in Simple Present Tense Hypothetical Narratives

“(Imagine) someone comes in and asks about electric cars; what should I tell him or her?”

**Some people refers to hypothetical people.

MORE

To come in off the street means to come or visit with no reservation, plans or schedule.

Continue reading “Someone or Some People?”

Will or Going To

From Twitter

Come to class and learn to speak proper English! Go to: http://sayinsei.com

【使い分け】”Most of” or “Most?”

In each statement (numbers 1 and 2), which version  (A or B) of each is Correct?
Statement 1.
Option A
Most of Koreans like Kimchi.
Option B
Most Koreans like Kimchi.
Statement 2.
Option A
Most of Koreans like Kimchi prefer fresh Kimchi.
Option B
Most of the Koreans who like Kimchi prefer fresh Kimchi.
In statement 1 we do not need `of ` because ‘most’ directly modifies ‘Koreans;’ How many Koreans?  … 90% (meaning most). The answer is B.
In statement 2 we need `of `+ the Koreans who, because we are talking about a subset, or a group within (or coming from) a another group. We could also phrase it this way:
Of the Koreans who like Kimchi, most prefer fresh kimchi.
Do you like kimchi; what kind?
Come to class and learn to speak proper English! Go to: http://sayinsei.com. 
CA