Many of you have asked me whether I've begun to pick up an English accent. The answer is, sadly no, but I am finally getting the hang of certain common English phrases. It is essential to master the really common phrases or you will quickly get lost in a conversation. The problem is that some words have many meanings. That, and the fact that no sentences mean what the juxtaposition of words would have you believe.
Lesson One:
After months of study, I think I have come up with a good definition of the word 'proper', including some examples from actual conversations I've had:
Proper: adjective
1. good or excellent
"First, let's have a proper cup of tea", translation: There is nothing in this world that a good cup of tea can't fix, wouldn't you agree?
2. correct or respectable
"If only the housekeeper would give the loo a proper cleaning", translation: I'm not going to say anything to anyone who can change things, but between you and me, the housekeeper does not clean the bathroom very well, wouldn't you agree?
3. utter, total, or complete
"That bloke is a proper knob...if he comes 'round again, I'm gonna put him in the river", translation: That guy is a total jerk...if I ever see him again, I will drown him in the River Cam. (Knowing that guy, he probably does mean what he says!)
Hope you've learned something here today. Class dismissed.
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3 comments:
awesome! I'm definitely going to try and use the word proper in a sentence today.. perhaps 3 times in 1 sentence!
That sounds like a serious challenge...let me know how you do!
Sometimes I wish I was English, just so I could use words like "bugger" and "sod" without sounding ridiculous.
It sounds like your English is going better than my Spanish, though! People keep saying, "Use context to understand words." Uh, okay. it would help if I understood more than 2 words per sentence.
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