Liquid Ocelot
dead + tired
lol I do grammar, spelling, writing mechanics / techniques and all that stuff. Also poetry / metaphor / whatever else. It's my life. Literally.
Your casual english is definitely fine, from what I can tell, though!
Help me improve my English!
- Thread starter Delphine
- Start date
lol I do grammar, spelling, writing mechanics / techniques and all that stuff. Also poetry / metaphor / whatever else. It's my life. Literally.
Your casual english is definitely fine, from what I can tell, though!
Impressive! For a long time I hesitated between cinema studies and litterature/English studies. I also wanted to learn Art History. Man, one life isn't enough...
samsquared
飛べ
What you're talking about (raining cats and dogs, etc.) is common phrasal imagery (isn't that a mouthful?) called "idioms". One might call them "figures of speech", lol (that's another idiom). Idioms are something that really come with experience with la langue and the area. Idioms in America and Britain can differ somewhat: phrases like "close, but no cigar" will mean likely nothing to a Brit, and "chalk and cheese" will likely mean nothing to an American. "Getting the gist" of what you're saying is important in this sort of dialogue, which is probably why you're having some trouble picking it up. (Another idiom~)
Also, naturally, readings become more advanced the more acquainted you get with the language. I honestly wouldn't recommend you go further with the language if you didn't already desire to, as being good enough to write and read and hold a fairly technical conversation will get you extremely far already.
But, since you do want to know, I've got a lot of idioms for you to familiarise yourself with such as:
"I'm losing my marbles/mind!"
"It cost me an arm and a leg."
"That was a piece of cake!"
"You're pulling my leg."
"Who pissed in your Cheerios? (or some other variant of this)"
"He's bending over backwards just to get me to go to the dance with him!"
"What a load of crap/baloney/etc."
"Now you're getting a taste of your own medicine."
"Japanese, Chinese: it's all Greek to me."
"I'm out here working my nine-to-five while you just sit at home all day!"
Among others. You should look them up to learn more! I hope this was helpful? Good? Something? lol I'm sorry today I suck
Also, naturally, readings become more advanced the more acquainted you get with the language. I honestly wouldn't recommend you go further with the language if you didn't already desire to, as being good enough to write and read and hold a fairly technical conversation will get you extremely far already.
But, since you do want to know, I've got a lot of idioms for you to familiarise yourself with such as:
"I'm losing my marbles/mind!"
"It cost me an arm and a leg."
"That was a piece of cake!"
"You're pulling my leg."
"Who pissed in your Cheerios? (or some other variant of this)"
"He's bending over backwards just to get me to go to the dance with him!"
"What a load of crap/baloney/etc."
"Now you're getting a taste of your own medicine."
"Japanese, Chinese: it's all Greek to me."
"I'm out here working my nine-to-five while you just sit at home all day!"
Among others. You should look them up to learn more! I hope this was helpful? Good? Something? lol I'm sorry today I suck
Last edited:
No problem! I also love your avatar, by the way.
Oh, and, do you need any help with text shorthand? It's used a lot, so it's worth understanding.
No problem! I also love your avatar, by the way.
Oh, and, do you need any help with text shorthand? It's used a lot, so it's worth understanding.
Thanks! I love yours too, reminds me good memories n_n
I have no idea why text shorthands are so a little heads up would be nice xD <3
Thank you! And, text shorthand is shortened English which was used commonly when phones didn't have keyboards. People still use it now, though (mainly out of laziness).
Here's some popular shorthand I can think of off the top of my head:
LOL = Laugh Out Loud. - To show that you think something is funny.
TTYL = "Talk to you later!"
BTW = "By the way..." - To add another subject to the conversation
Person 1: Hi, are you going to the concert?
Person 2: Oh yeah! Oh, and by the way, have you heard about the lead singer? He broke his foot.
Person 2: Oh yeah! Oh, and by the way, have you heard about the lead singer? He broke his foot.
OMG = "Oh my God!" = Again, to show surprise/shock. This is a common phrase, so it should be okay to say around most people.
AFK = Away From Keyboard. This means that the person who has said this will be away from their computer/phone for a bit, but will return.
GTG = "Got to go!" Another way of saying that you need to leave the conversation.
LMAO = Laughing My Ass Off - To show that you think something is funny.
Wat= "What"
Tht = "That"
Bby = "Baby"
K = "Okay."
KK = Another way of saying "Okay.".
Nao = Now
IRL = In real life
WUBU2 = "What are you up to?"/"What you up to?"
R = "Are"
Hey bby, wat r u up 2? irl, i was just lmao with my other bby lol
nao im just chilling
k, gtg ttyl
nao im just chilling
k, gtg ttyl
Please note that you shouldn't use these in real life. It's best to use them on the internet only. You'll seem silly if you use these phrases in real life!
Last edited:
Oh okay I called these abbreviations! We have that in French as well and I ever use it to be honest, I don't know about America and the UK but in my country the average level of French has lowered because people only use these abbreviations now... It's super sad.
Let me translate: hey baby, what are you up to? In real life I was just laughing my ass off with my other baby, laughing out loud! Now I'm just chilling. Okay, got to go, talk to you later!
Hehe ~ I didn't know half of these so thanks!
Also, question: if I write 'doesn't' instead of 'does not', 'I'm' instead of 'I am'... Is it less 'polite'? Wait not polite but... It's better to write every word entirely, is it not?
Let me translate: hey baby, what are you up to? In real life I was just laughing my ass off with my other baby, laughing out loud! Now I'm just chilling. Okay, got to go, talk to you later!
Hehe ~ I didn't know half of these so thanks!
Also, question: if I write 'doesn't' instead of 'does not', 'I'm' instead of 'I am'... Is it less 'polite'? Wait not polite but... It's better to write every word entirely, is it not?
Um, do you understand the differences between certain homophones(words that sound the same but are spelled/mean different)? I can help you with there/their/they're and to/too/two
- - - Post Merge - - -
- - - Post Merge - - -
I personally have never heard this, but Im only 14, sooo
at the moment i can only think of is 'that's no good', 'that's a pity' or 'what a shame', although 'what a shame' can sometimes sound sarcastic. i suppose you would want to use that more when actually speaking so you can emphasise that it isn't sarcastic! that's unlucky is ok but i rarely hear people say that in conversation, though i'm sure you can make it work if you like
good luck with your english, if i think of any other ways to help you out i'll be sure to let you know! oh also feel free to ask me if you need any specific help, i honestly love helping people out with this sort of thing plus (not to brag at all!!) english is quite a high skill of mine and i'm happy to help you
Last edited:
Earth Wolf-Howl
The Dreamer
I wouldn't use it. Maybe it's just because I'm a bit inattentive at times, but I haven't heard anyone say 'That's unlucky' in that context.
Also, to answer your previous question about contractions such as 'I'm' or 'They're'- personally, I don't find it makes much of a difference. 'I am' or 'They are' might be good in a formal situation, but their shortened forms are perfectly reasonable for everyday conversation, or for talking to each other via text.
I'm generally fine with this stuff, I had not quite understood the difference between 'of' and 'off' but two people explained to me
Thanks for your help, if I ever need help with homophones I'll let you know
at the moment i can only think of is 'that's no good', 'that's a pity' or 'what a shame', although 'what a shame' can sometimes sound sarcastic. i suppose you would want to use that more when actually speaking so you can emphasise that it isn't sarcastic! that's unlucky is ok but i rarely hear people say that in conversation, though i'm sure you can make it work if you like
good luck with your english, if i think of any other ways to help you out i'll be sure to let you know! oh also feel free to ask me if you need any specific help, i honestly love helping people out with this sort of thing plus (not to brag at all!!) english is quite a high skill of mine and i'm happy to help you
If it sounds weird to you guys I'm just not going to use it haha
Thanks for your help, it's very kind of you! And don't worry I don't think you're bragging lol, I'm very good at French and when I was younger I helped a Korean friend who didn't speak the language very well so I know the feeling
Thanks again!Let's just not say 'That's unlucky', it sounded funny to me as well x)
Ah thank you for answering that, I was just unsure whether contractions may sound inappropriate in certain situations.
Thanks!
Thanks, not anything I can think of right now but thank you! n_n
Earth Wolf-Howl
The Dreamer
I'm generally fine with this stuff, I had not quite understood the difference between 'of' and 'off' but two people explained to me
Thanks for your help, if I ever need help with homophones I'll let you know
If it sounds weird to you guys I'm just not going to use it haha
Thanks for your help, it's very kind of you! And don't worry I don't think you're bragging lol, I'm very good at French and when I was younger I helped a Korean friend who didn't speak the language very well so I know the feeling
Let's just not say 'That's unlucky', it sounded funny to me as well x)
Ah thank you for answering that, I was just unsure whether contractions may sound inappropriate in certain situations.
Thanks!
Thanks, not anything I can think of right now but thank you! n_n
No problem! Good luck learning the rest of the language.
Thanks guys!
When someone does something nice for you, or offers to do something kind for you, what can you say? That it's considerate? I can't think of any other way to say so... (I learned the word 'considerate' in Tim Burton's Vincent)
When someone does something nice for you, or offers to do something kind for you, what can you say? That it's considerate? I can't think of any other way to say so... (I learned the word 'considerate' in Tim Burton's Vincent)
Most of the time people just say, "that was really nice," thank them, and they go on about their lives in a cheery mood. When offered, they either say, "yes please, that would be great!" or "that is really sweet, but no thanks!"
