英语博客(A cup of English):054 An English confusion.

　　Beginners.

Some people say that it must be easy for me to live here, because of the language; it is the same as in England. Yes, that's right. But, there are some interesting differences. There are many sayings and spellings that are different. If you don't know the differences, you can get into trouble sometimes. When I first came here, I took my driving test. First, I took the written test. A man asked me afterwards if I had 'missed' any of the questions. I looked at him and said, "Of course not, I did all of them." "Oh," he said, "you're sure of yourself, aren't you!" After talking a bit more, I realized that 'to miss' a question, in the U.S., means to get the answer wrong. In England 'to miss' means to not attempt to answer. The two meanings are very different. On another occasion, after meeting a group of people I commented that the lady was very "homely 1". Most people frowned and said, "No she's not homely at all." Again, after some confusion, and trying to explain myself, I learned that homely, in this country, means ugly. Oops! In England it describes a person who likes to be at home, makes pies well, does domestic things well, .... you get the meaning. Even though I have been here for seventeen years, I am still learning expressions that I have to be careful with......

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: saying, spelling, to get into trouble, to explain oneself, to comment, to frown.

Advanced.

One minute from my house, by car, is a large shop, Walmart. It is very convenient for me; I go there at least three times a week. I am constantly running out of basic essentials like milk, bread, cereal, and toilet paper. Well, I make my quick trips there, grab what I need, and leave. Occasionally,  I will spend some time looking, browsing 2. It can be relaxing. The trouble is, when you browse 3, you are more likely to buy an extra something that you don't really need. The employees in Walmart are very friendly and helpful. One thing that I've noticed about them, is that there are many older people working there, people who look like they have been retired 4 for a while. One day, when I was standing 5 in line waiting for a cashier, I found myself observing the gentleman who was at the till. He was tall, elderly, and very polite. His hair was dyed black, so black that it was a blue black. His face was wrinkled, and his eyes looked almost closed. Then it was my turn. "Hello, did you find everything that you were looking for?" he asked, robotticly. "Yes, thanks," I replied. "The trouble is, I always buy too much," I continued. He looked at me, and then at his watch and said, "It's ten forty-five." Oh, he must have misheard me. "It's a lovely day, isn't it?" I said just to make conversation. "Oh," he said quickly, as if I had corrected him,"well, I can put your stuff in paper bags instead of plastic bags." "No, that's fine," I said, trying not to cause more confusion. I noticed that he was wearing a hearing aid. That explains it. I should speak louder. "Could I borrow a pen?" I said loudly as I took my cheque book out. "No, we don't take American Express," he replied without looking at me. Hm, amazing that we could have two separate conversations, and somehow manage to get the job done.

Grammar notes.

Verbs: to grab (reg.) used commonly as to get, pick out etc.

He grabbed his coat and ran into the rain.

To browse (reg.). Ex: I browse the internet everyday.

To notice (reg.). Ex: I noticed the other day that she was crying.

To hear/ mishear (hear, heard, heard). Ex: I misheard the directions, so I got lost.