a little humble pie for the native English speakers

[IndependentlyPoor]

And why does lose rhyme with cruise and not dose?

Did you ever try to explain the use of articles to a non-native speaker, particularly a Russian?
We go to church but to the hospital. Brits go to hospital as well as church. Likewise, Brits go to university, but Americans go to the university, although we go to college.

[calmloki]

My gal has a bug about bring and take. Something about point of reference and mental perspective. Here's one take on the use of same:
Grammar Girl : Bring Versus Take :: Quick and Dirty Tips ™

aiyyiyi.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by calmloki My gal has a bug about bring and take. Something about point of reference and mental perspective.

One of the reasons that my mother-in-law ran screaming from Hawaii is because she has a degree in English and is trained as a proofreader. This apparently does not put one in a receptive frame of mind to listen to pidgin.

But it was fun to watch Grandma blow a gasket when her granddaughter would whip out a particularly pithily poignant pidgin production.

[Orchidflower]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndependentlyPoor And why does lose rhyme with cruise and not dose? Did you ever try to explain the use of articles to a non-native speaker, particularly a Russian? We go to church but to the hospital. Brits go to hospital as well as church. Likewise, Brits go to university, but Americans go to the university, although we go to college.

A friend of mine was a Russian translator for the State Department for years. He was translating from English to Russian for Al Gore who was giving a speech. He repeatedly told Gore there is no word for the word "hope" in Russian, so what does Gore do? Uses it every other word.
Needless to say, my translator friend did not vote for him when he ran.

I had a gal friend who worked with a guy from India. He felt sick and asked her what he had, so she, being a character anyway, told him he was "suffering from lack-a-nookey." She still laughs when she describes him running to the dictionary trying to look up this disease "lack-a-nookey." I thought it was a pretty funny story, anyway, when I heard it.