THE ART OF SPEAKING AMERICAN ENGLISH (8 page)

In Conversation:

Jack:
The movie was
so
bad, with all that terrible violence in it
.

Mary:
It wasn’t
that
bad. At least Brad Pitt
’
s acting was pretty good
.

II
.
so
is used to modify or intensify adverbs and adjectives when an
opposing viewpoint is not expressed
.

A. The flowers on the table are
so
lovely
.

B.
I’m
so
tired, I can’t think clearly
.

C.
China is
so
big and
so
densely populated
.

III.
that
is used when confirming one’s previous statement.

Martha:
The chocolates at the wedding reception
were to die for
(no one could conceivably resist them)!

Sally:
Really
?

Martha: Yes, they were
that
delicious
.

IV.
this
and
that
expresses frustration over what someone has said at an earlier time, considered unnecessary to repeat, because the speaker assumes the listener has some idea or knows exactly what he/she is referring to.

Example:

He’s always saying
this
and
that
about the office being a mess, but he never cleans up his own desk
.

V.
this and
that
can also be used to express frustration with someone’s actions or behavior.

He walks around the office doing this and
that
but never gets any work done
.

VI.
so
(=
so
on), in the idiom
so
on and
so
on
, is more or less the positive version of
this and
that
,
and is used to indirectly refer to what someone has said when the speaker assumes the listener has some idea or knows exactly what he/she is talking about.

The boss said it’s important that the office always be very clean: no dirty coffee cups on desks, the floor regularly swept, and
so
on and
so
on
.

VII
“
so
?” as a slightly sarcastic reply can be used to request a clearer
explanation of a statement, opinion, accusation, etc.

Movie Director:
Actor B is not happy with the scene we filmed this morning
.

Movie Producer:
So?

Movie Director:
He want’s to do the scene again

VIII
.
so!
(=
So
what!), as a sarcastic reply can be used to express envy. jealousy, and sometimes a competitive disposition (particularly among siblings).

Sarah
:
Mom got me
a
new bike
.

Sarah’s sister Emma
:
So!

IX.
so
!
(=
So
what! /What of it!) as an intensely sarcastic reply can be used to challenge a statement, opinion, accusation, etc., usually with the intension of inciting an altercation.

School bully:
You’re sitting in my seat
.

Football Team Captain:
So!

is
/
are
And
was
/
were

This is a needed contrast in that the common assumption incorrectly says understanding the differences here is as simple as stating the obvious, that is,
is/are
express the singular and plural in the present tense, and
was/were
, the singular and plural in the past tense. A more careful study reveals something else as important in terms of nuance and a bit more complex. Apart from the verb tense, try to guess in what way (A) and (B) are different.

A.
The show
was
incredible, I’ve got to see it again
.

B.
The show
is
incredible, I’ve got to see it again
.

(A) expresses the speaker’s
own perspective
and
feelings
, while (B), a generalization, suggests that
anyone
who sees the show will find it as incredibly entertaining as the speaker did. (A & B) are perfectly acceptable in this case, though (B) may or may not actually be true. Children and young adults nearly always fail to make a distinction between opinion and fact. Adults sometimes blur the two as well, intentionally and unintentionally.

can,
able to
,
capable of

Many distinctions can be drawn here. For the sake of staying true to the objective of this book - helping students master conversational English - the following focuses on how our subject words are essentially used in daily conversation irrespective of the strict rules of grammar.

I.
can

1
.
can
as a substitute for the word
may
is colloquially used to ask for permission as well as to grant or deny permission.
Note:
can
is often substituted for
able to
and
capable of
. As such,
can
is universally the most useful among the three in daily conversation
.

You
can
(= may) play with your friends after lunch
.

2
.
can
is used to politely make a request.
(
would you
can be substituted for
can
you
in this case, but is slightly more direct.

Can
you (= please) stop by the store to pick up some milk?

*
Would you
is also used to express annoyance or disapproval in the form of a strong request or demand. *
‘Would you stop doing that! You’re driving me crazy’
.

II.
able to

1.
able to
is used to express availability.
I don’t think I
can
play
is an acceptable substitute here.
capable of
(skill, talent, competency) is not interchangeable with
be
able to
play
in this case, in that it does not express
opportunity, resources, availability
.

I don’t think I’m going to
be able to
play soccer today, I’ve got too much homework
.

2
.
able to
is used to express a level of competency and skill in
a
literal sense
.
can
and
capable of
are acceptable substitutes here in that both express skill and competency.

Mr. Smith is (
able to
) lead the university back to being a respected international institute of learning
.

3.
able to
is used to imply authority or qualifications to take action in certain situations
.
can
is an acceptable substitute here.
capable of
making
is not interchangeable with
able to
make
in this case, in that it does not connote
right, authority
, etc.)

Only the company president is (
able to
) make a decision on whether to drop that product line
.

III.
capable of

1.
capable of
expresses the
potential
of a person/thing having a tangible or evident influence on another.
can
collapse
may be substituted here for
is
capable of
collapsing
.
able to
is not
interchangeable with
capable of
in this case because it applies to characteristics such as ability, skill and competency not attributable to non-living things, as in this case,
the ideology and political system of socialism
.

Abject socialism is (
capable of
) collapsing an entire functioning economy
.

2.
capable of
expresses the ability to accomplish a task or meet a challenge.
was
no longer
able to
do
and
could
no longer do
can be substituted for
capable of
doing
as both can be used in the literal sense, and, express
ability, skill, etc
.

In her late forties, the celebrated Olympic gold medalist was no longer (
capable of
) doing the poll jump
.

3. One way in which
capable of
is used, colloquially, rarely covered in textbooks, makes an assumption about a person’s inclination or temperament.
couldn’t
commit
is a good substitute here, being that
can
is used both
literally
and
figuratively
.
able to
is always used in a
literal sense
,
and as such, substituting
isn’t
able to
commit
here
changes the meaning of the statement to
‘he isn’t
literally
able to commit such a terrible crime’
(due to physical limitations, locality, etc.)

He isn’t
capable of
committing such a terrible crime. (has no such tendency to ... / lacks the will to ...)

come
/
come back
,
get
/
be
,
go/go back

I.
come
emphasizes the perspective of someone at a certain location (home, workplace, etc.) in conversation with someone who has/is expected to arrive at that location
.

A. Jack:
I’m
coming
home from work around ten tonight
. (Jack’s on the telephone - wife is at home.)

B. Jack’s wife:
What time are you
coming
home tonight?

II.
go
emphasizes the perspective of someone at a certain location (home, workplace, etc.) who will be leaving for a different location, in conversation with someone who is not currently at the planned destination.

Jack to a colleague:
I’m
going
home at
7
tonight to have dinner with my wife for a change
.

III
.
get
and
be
can express the action
of arriving
at a destination, regardless of perspective.

A.
Jack to a colleague:
I’ll
get/
b
e
home at 9 tonight
. (Jack and his colleague are at the company).

B.
Jack to his wife:
I’ll
get/
be
home at 9 tonight
. (Jack’s wife is at home on the phone / *The common alternatives to this are ‘I’ll be
getting/coming
home around 9 tonight?’)

C.
Jack’s wife to Jack:
What time will you
get/
be
home tonight?
(Jack’s wife is at home - on the phone)

IV
.
be
carries the additional expression of
being
at a location for a duration of time.

I’ll
be
(at -
optional here)
home
all day
.

V.
come back
emphasizes the perspective of someone at a certain location (home, workplace, etc.) in conversation with a person who was at the same location earlier, and is expected to return to that location
with the intention of staying for a relatively short period of time before leaving again.
Come back
will be used
regardless of who is speaking,

Scenario 1
.

A. Girl:
Mom, I forgot my pajamas
. (The little girl is at the next door neighbor’s house for a sleep-over - on the phone)

Mom:
I’ve got my hands in the cookie dough, honey, you’ll have to
come back
home and get them yourself
.

Scenario 2

B. Girl:
Mom, I forgot my pajamas
. (The little girl is at the next door neighbor’s house for a sleep-over - on the phone)