It really just happened to me
Apr 28th 2011, 7:04 pm
#76
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: It really just happened to me
Apr 28th 2011, 7:08 pm
#77
I have a comma problem
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Fox Lake, IL (from Carrickfergus NI)
Posts: 49,598
Re: It really just happened to me
Apr 28th 2011, 7:09 pm
#78
MCROW
Joined: Apr 2011
Location: Rural Georgia
Posts: 978
Re: It really just happened to me
I agree, I find that in the states people don't use a wide variety of words for the same thing.
British English, we understand that Rubbish, bin, trash, garbage, can, & waste, all can mean the place where we put things to throw them out.
American English, I've noticed people use their one word and nothing else could possibilbly be it.
I worked out that puting something in the post here makes no sense to them, because they expect to hear, put this in the mail......
British English, we understand that Rubbish, bin, trash, garbage, can, & waste, all can mean the place where we put things to throw them out.
American English, I've noticed people use their one word and nothing else could possibilbly be it.
I worked out that puting something in the post here makes no sense to them, because they expect to hear, put this in the mail......
Apr 28th 2011, 7:12 pm
#80
I have a comma problem
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Fox Lake, IL (from Carrickfergus NI)
Posts: 49,598
Apr 30th 2011, 12:56 am
#82
lush
Joined: Dec 2007
Location: Maine - the "Deep South" of the Northeast
Posts: 5,004
Re: It really just happened to me
I gave up asking for a tall and only ever order a grande now
and no matter how many times I say no whip or no whipped cream they put whipped cream on.
My name is Sean and when I go to restaurants, coffee shops etc where they ask your name 99.9% of the time it goes like this:
Server: Name ?
Me: Sean.
Server: Joel ?
Me: Sean
Server: John ?
Me: Sean
Server: Shoal ?? ( not quite sure but there you go !! )
Me: Sean
Server: John?
Me: Sean
At which time I will spell it " S.E.A.N " and then they go "Oh Sean!!!"
Then they ask which part or Australia I'm from........
I dont go out much anymore...
Server: Name ?
Me: Sean.
Server: Joel ?
Me: Sean
Server: John ?
Me: Sean
Server: Shoal ?? ( not quite sure but there you go !! )
Me: Sean
Server: John?
Me: Sean
At which time I will spell it " S.E.A.N " and then they go "Oh Sean!!!"
Then they ask which part or Australia I'm from........
I dont go out much anymore...
The water thing pisses me off. I answer water just after they've asked what I want to drink, so really how difficult can it be to figure out that it's water I'm talking about. It's not like I suddenly shout "water" at random moments.
I try as hard as possible not to talk to anyone anymore. I've become totally antisocial
Apr 30th 2011, 11:17 pm
#83
I have a comma problem
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Fox Lake, IL (from Carrickfergus NI)
Posts: 49,598
May 1st 2011, 2:18 am
#84
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2009
Location: DFW, TX
Posts: 508
Re: It really just happened to me
I mean it's bad even at places where there's only a very limited vocabulary of options, like Mickey Dees.
"A small coffee, please."
*gets handed a coffee, wonders why no "Would you like cream or sugar?"*
"Yeah, could I have some cream, please?"
"Half&Half?"
"Milk?"
"Come OOOOOON, this isn't hard, what do people usually put into their goddamn coffee in this piece-of-shite cow town? You know, that white stuff, comes from cows?"
"Oh, cream?"
"Yes, ffs, gimme!"
I wasn't even trying to discuss Kant's Kritik der reinen Vernunft with them.
"A small coffee, please."
*gets handed a coffee, wonders why no "Would you like cream or sugar?"*
"Yeah, could I have some cream, please?"
"Half&Half?"
"Milk?"
"Come OOOOOON, this isn't hard, what do people usually put into their goddamn coffee in this piece-of-shite cow town? You know, that white stuff, comes from cows?"
"Oh, cream?"
"Yes, ffs, gimme!"
I wasn't even trying to discuss Kant's Kritik der reinen Vernunft with them.
May 1st 2011, 5:07 pm
#85
Sursum corda
Joined: Sep 2002
Location: Richmond Hill, GA USA
Posts: 38,860
May 1st 2011, 5:09 pm
#86
Sursum corda
Joined: Sep 2002
Location: Richmond Hill, GA USA
Posts: 38,860
Re: It really just happened to me
I gave up asking for a tall and only ever order a grande now
and no matter how many times I say no whip or no whipped cream they put whipped cream on.
The water thing pisses me off. I answer water just after they've asked what I want to drink, so really how difficult can it be to figure out that it's water I'm talking about. It's not like I suddenly shout "water" at random moments.
I try as hard as possible not to talk to anyone anymore. I've become totally antisocial
and no matter how many times I say no whip or no whipped cream they put whipped cream on.
The water thing pisses me off. I answer water just after they've asked what I want to drink, so really how difficult can it be to figure out that it's water I'm talking about. It's not like I suddenly shout "water" at random moments.
I try as hard as possible not to talk to anyone anymore. I've become totally antisocial
May 1st 2011, 5:10 pm
#87
lush
Joined: Dec 2007
Location: Maine - the "Deep South" of the Northeast
Posts: 5,004
May 1st 2011, 5:14 pm
#88
Sursum corda
Joined: Sep 2002
Location: Richmond Hill, GA USA
Posts: 38,860
May 1st 2011, 6:40 pm
#89
MCROW
Joined: Apr 2011
Location: Rural Georgia
Posts: 978
Re: It really just happened to me
The water thing pisses me off. I answer water just after they've asked what I want to drink, so really how difficult can it be to figure out that it's water I'm talking about. It's not like I suddenly shout "water" at random moments.
I try as hard as possible not to talk to anyone anymore. I've become totally antisocial
I try as hard as possible not to talk to anyone anymore. I've become totally antisocial
I asked which of the two offered they used for 'washing up' in the kitchen. "You being funny?" I explained that all I want was a glass of water before my meal, and that if they took the glass I offered off the table, and held it under that chrome thing with the twisty bit on the top and rotated the top to the left, it would fill the glass with, guess what? WATER. He went away with the glass and a few minutes later the Head Waiter came back and asked if I had been drinking. I said not yet as I'm waiting for the other guy to come back with my glass of water. It went down hill from there...
May 1st 2011, 6:57 pm
#90
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 4,130
Re: It really just happened to me
A few years ago after repeatedly spelling my relatively long name to a client on the phone, I finally politely advised her to address correspondence to me using my short first name. " First name is fine", I told her.
From that time on all my correspondance from her started off with, "Dear Mr. Fine."
From that time on all my correspondance from her started off with, "Dear Mr. Fine."