Do You Understand This Dialogue?

Firs3,

Because of time constraints, I’m temporarily not using Skype right now.  In the future, I plan to resume.

reading the lessons can help you in addition to other lessons.Really?thx.May i have u Skype?

Buttafly,

It made me happy to make you smile!

lol

Firs3, reading the lessons can help you in addition to other lessons.

my Englishhhh is very bad, i want to study it

who can help me learn Englishhhhhhh.

You are right!  “There have been many singers to sing the song: “I heard it through the grapevine,” if you listen to the lyrics, you can understand the story.  I think I’ll add the song to the playlist in the Relaxation Lounge.  Thanks Buttafly, drum roll please!

Dialogue Lesson No. 13: “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”

Sam: Say Herb, are you leaving the company?

Herb: How did you know?

Sam: I heard it through the grapevine.

Herb: I see, yes.

What did Sam mean he heard it through the grapevine?

This is the latest mini lesson on American English phrases which I posted on August 20, 2011 in the Teacher’s Forum.  Please click on the previous or next button to read the remaining lessons.  I try to post once a month in addition to this forum topic.

http://www.englishbaby.com/forum/TeacherTalk/thread/390410?page=22

Hello Everyone,

Please excuse the delay in posting Mini Lesson No. 19, here it is:

That’s all she wrote / Playing for keeps / We’re good to go

A. That’s all she wrote= The completion or ending of something.

Origin/background of the phrase:

To understand the origin of “that’s all she wrote, you will have to understand what a “Dear John” letter is. This type of letter is written to a husband or boyfriend to inform them that the relationship is over (ended).

It’s commonly believed the origin dates back to the days of World War II when American soldiers were away from home and some of their wives or girlfriends started a relationship with another man because of their loneliness. Therefore a letter would be sent to the soldier and would say something like “Dear John, it’s over!”

Concerning the phrase “that’s all she wrote,” if another soldier asked the person who received the “Dear John” letter what did she say, the response could be “Dear John it’s over,” that’s all she wrote! In other words, the relationship is finished (over). Therefore, this phrase is used to indicate the end of something or when something is finished. Here are some examples:

1. “After completing the research project, ”that was all she wrote,“ it was time to turn it in.”

2. The teacher told the class: “to prepare for the final exam, you will need to review all of the previous tests, review the homework assignments, review the main points of the guest speaker and be able to answer all of the questions at the end of the chapters. Well class, ’that’s all she wrote,” if you are prepared to do this, you will do well on the final exam. See you at test time!

3. After watching the Space Shuttle land for the last time, I can imagine the captain saying to the crew: “Well Crew, ”that’s all she wrote!“”

B. Playing for keeps= Performing an action with the intention of winning.

Origin/background of the phrase:

This phrase comes from the game of marbles where the the winner kept the opponent marbles after winning them. Here are some examples:

1. “The 2 high school wrestlers were ”playing for keeps” during their wrestling match!”

2. “I taught my friend how to play chess and now that he understands the game, I’m playing for keeps!”

3. When you’re “playing for keeps,” you don’t give your opponent a chance to win!

C. We’re good to go= Being ready to proceed.

Origin/background of the phrase:

This was a phrase used by the military to indicate they were ready for action.

Here are some examples:

1. I have finished packing for the trip and “we’re good to go!”

2. Father to son: You’re not “good to go” until you finish your chores!”

3. I completed the paperwork for the mortgage loan and provided the necessary documentation, are we “good to go?”

Loan Officer: “It looks like everything is in order and ”you’re good to go!”

Well, I hope this lesson will shed some light on your understanding if you hear any of these phrases used.

Now, I would like to provide a list of facticious names that are used in conversational English which are mostly personifications and not literal:

Babe, Baby, Bubba, Bud, Buddy, Darling, Dude, Green-eyed Monster, Gal(s),

Guy(s), Honey, Jack, John Doe, Lady Liberty, Mustang Sally, My Man, Old Lady,

Old Man, Pal, Plain Jane, Queen Bee, Roger, Sam, and The Man.

Well, that’s all she wrote, here are the phrases for Mini Lesson No. 20:

Weigh in / A leg up / You nailed it

alston，hello？ i tried to read your writes in the forum but there is no a new one written by you .

thank u!

I agree with you Raibite!

thx for ur suggestions, sir.
as for me, i don’t think grammar is so important. especially in oral english. whenever i speak english i think little about grammar just like speaking chinese. that’s ok if what i said could be understood…
no matter how much english one has known, it’s just using is a bit different, right?
so how do u think, teacher?

little bit,

I’m glad to be able to help you!

Notice to everyone: I have revised my posting on “My suggestions of learning English”

you are abusolutely great! what you told me is really very important! we can be success if we follow you!i agree with what you said!

stuay is difficult for lazy man but easy for a strong will man!

as old saying goes:”where there is a will ,there is a way!”we should try our best!

or,a lazy youth, a lousy age!

My suggestions of learning English:

As I have considered the students dilemma in learning English, I understand there is a lot of effort in learning the mechanics (grammar) of English and as a result there is a lot of frustration in this effort. 

Basic grammar is important, however, the depths of grammar is my concern because as I analyze how native speaking children learn English, they don’t learn by taking grammar courses.  They learn from adults on a daily basis, being corrected as necessary.

As a result, most children are speaking fluent English before they start kindergarten (3-5 years).  If you ask them what a past perfect progressive verb tense is, they may say: “I don’t know, what is that?” However, they would be speaking it in daily conversation without knowing what it is.  Hence, you don’t have to be an automotive mechanic to know how to drive a car!

Therefore, here are my recommendations:

1.  Don’t be discouraged because you have difficulty in learning what each and every word is grammatically.  Many native speakers don’t know, so why should you be stressed about it.  Let learning English be fun and not a boring necessity.

2.  Use reverse engineering to learn English, that is: read a statement and then learn what the grammar is.  Reverse engineering is when you take a complete product and disassemble it to determine how it works.  Think of how it relates to the structure of your own language.  All languages have the same purpose and that is to provide a means of communication between people.

3.  Use music lyrics to see how the writer wrote the lyrics and try to understand the meaning of the song.  I’ve posted love songs in the Relaxation Lounge on my profile page to help you.  If you can’t see them, send a request and I’ll send you a list of the songs that you can obtain from the Internet.  Be sure to receive the lyrics.

4.  Use a voice recorder and record news programs or sections of English content, then analyze it word-for-word.  If there is a part that you don’t understand, ask an English teacher or English speaking person.

5.  Make every attempt to leave your comfort zone and use English at every opportunity.

I hope this will help you in learning English, it’s not to replace your current method, only add to it.  Also, as a reminder, be sure to read the mini lessons on “Understanding American English Phrases” which I write in the Teacher’s Forum.

You both are welcome!

Yes, I understand very well :)

thank you indeed for giving more information abou’ english language speaking skills :)