When French comedian Gad Elmaleh started learning English in 2016 to perform his standup act in New York, he found a lot to laugh about in the peculiarities of his new language – and using the verb “had had” was among them. In his live performance show, “American...
Have you ever received a text or email that closed with, “Xoxo” or “Xo” or “xoxoxoxoxox”? The x’s and o’s mean “kisses” (x) and “hugs” (o). Xox is an informal way to end a message to a close friend or family member. The amount of X’s and O’s is up to you. This...
Omigod. Wowwwwww! Fantasssstic! The above words are common in everyday American English; though they sound extreme, their meaning could actually be more equivalent to “Oh!” or “Cool” or “Great”. Americans tend to like the extra feeling and verbal sizzle in informal...
A young French woman on an exchange program in New York walked into a clothes store on Fifth Avenue one afternoon. A salesperson greeted her with, “How are you today?” “I was shocked!” she told me, a day later. “Why is that so shocking?” I asked. “But that lady...
If I could offer one piece of advice to non-native speakers in a meeting with mostly native English speakers, I would say, “Open your mouth wide — yes, wide — when you speak.” In many cultures, such open-mouthiness is considered unnatural and, frankly, vulgar. The...
In the wake of the Las Vegas massacre, the phrase “thoughts and prayers” has again emerged for consideration. The root of “thoughts and prayers” as a hypocritical form of condolence was made clear in The New York Times Oct 4 article aptly named, “Thoughts...
