The rules of English that violate your foreign colleagues

If you communicate with colleagues in English, you probably do not want to lose face in front of them and try to speak as correctly as possible, according to all the rules of grammar, phonetics and some other topics. And what if we told you that you can safely violate these very rules and remain understood? In this article we will try to describe the cases where you can make mistakes and why you can do it.

Twice no

You remember that in a sentence in English one negation is enough? And then suddenly we listen to the Rolling Stones song and hear “ I can't get no satisfaction ”. The thing is that this is a song, here you can, you say. And this is true. But it is also worth mentioning that double denial makes the phrase more emotional. Therefore, such phrases and became popular. But this is an informal way, so don't get carried away with double negatives.

')

Verbs of the state

There are a number of verbs that can never be put in Present Continuous . For example, verbs that express our feelings and desires — I like, love, hate, want, and so on. And here we are looking at McDonald's advertising and we hear their slogan “I'm loving it”. And then turn on the Scorpions and hear “ Still Loving You ”. How is that?



There was a lot of controversy and reasoning on this topic, but most agree on the informality of this phrase (I'm loving it) and on the fact that we are talking only about some minor points, such as relaxation, food or a party. But not real feelings. And yet, that everything really began with McDonald's , and then became popular. In general, you can say “ I'm loving this restaurant, ” but you can't say “I'm loving you, ” because everything is more serious with people!

Present Perfect and Past Simple

In most cases, the difference between these times is clearly demarcated by marker words ( yesterday, ago, last, and similar for Past Simple and recently, already, yet, never , and so on for Present Perfect ). But when it comes to today or some news, there is confusion.



For example, “ I went swimming today ” or “ I have gone swimming today ”? It seems that something that has a connection with the present period of time should be in the Present Perfect . Some believe that this difference between American and British English. In fact, it’s just the difference between formal and informal English. The carriers themselves are advised to say “ have gone swimming today ”, but believe that it would not be a blunder to say “ I went swimming today ” in informal communication with friends or colleagues.

Will and Going to

There is complete confusion. There is a rule that “ will ” means some fact in the future that will happen - I will have my birthday next year . According to another rule, what exactly happens and is based on some obvious evidence is better described with the help of “ going to ” - Look at the light post. He is going to hit it! And how to be here? Carriers answer the question like this:

• Will is suitable for predictions, forecasts, quick fixes and promises;
• Going to helps describe plans, intentions, the future, which happens on the basis of obvious facts.

Most likely, that you will understand in any of the cases, just the phrase “ I'll have a new house ” or “ she'll hit the wall ” may seem unnatural.

If I was or I were?

“ If I were ” is considered the most correct way to say something in a conditional mood. True, you can still hear phrases like “ If I was wrong, I'm sorry ”. That means someone apologizes for being wrong. But “ If I were wrong, I would have apologized ” already means that a person does not admit his guilt, but merely simulates the situation - they say, if he were wrong, he would have apologized .

Comma in the listing

Here are a couple of suggestions:

• She saw some girls, Jamie, and Julie.
• She saw some girls, Jamie and Julie.

Are they any different? Many English-speaking people, including speakers, can say that there are no differences. Although there is a rule called “ Oxford comma ”, or a comma when listing. The whole point will become clear only when translating:

• She saw some girls, Jamie, and Julie. “She saw the girls, and also Jamie and Julie.”
• She saw some girls, Jamie and Julie. “She saw girls named Jamie and Julie.”

Their or his / her in conjunction with everyone, someone, anyone, no one

Using “ their ” in such cases was previously considered a mistake. After all, “ everyone, someone, anyone, no one ” is always used in the singular. The problem is that there are no corresponding pronouns that would clearly represent belonging to an indefinite gender of these words. Now we explain.



We can say he - his, she - her, it - its . And what to say in the case of everyone, someone, anyone, no one ? Earlier it was always said his or her in sentences like “ everybody needs to show his or her documents ”. And now these words seem languageist too sexist. Therefore, we can say “ everybody needs to show their documents ” - this will not be a mistake. But you can use the option with his or her , but it will already sound less modern and less tolerant.

You and me or you and I?

In many songs you can hear more often the combination of you and me in the role of the subject. For example, Wannabies , Three Doors Down , Lifehouse . According to the formal rules, you need to say “ You and I are friends ” (you and I are friends). But informally, you will often hear exactly “ You and me are here ”. But! There is a rule when “ you and me ” sound true - This pizza is for you and me . Here you and me play the role of a supplement (pizza for you and me).



You probably already thought: “Why write such an article? We will get more confused! ”Of course, if you only learn to communicate in English with colleagues, it’s better to follow all the rules. Go into such details is already with a confident knowledge of the language. But it is also very important to understand that English is a living system, which is directly connected with songs, movies, politics and even advertising! That is why it is so important to learn not only the rules, but also to try to understand the culture of the language that you are learning. Especially if the language has to be used in the work.

Reader Bonuses

Online Courses

We give free access to three months of learning English through our online courses. To do this, simply follow the link until December 31, 2017.

Individually by Skype

We will be glad to see you at the individual lessons of the course “English for IT-specialists”.

Complete a free introductory lesson and get a comprehensive feedback on your level of knowledge, then choose a teacher and a training program for yourself!