Silent Letters
- Thread starter Cornholio
- Start date
I only ever go "to school" - if I'm going to see the Headmaster/ my child's Year Patron or other teacher or if dropping off/picking my child.
Actually, I would use the hospital's name as there are 2 hospitals (one public, one private) within our area, so "the" wouldn't be used unless it's part of the name - eg "The Children's Hospital". I wouldn't say I was going to the St Vincent's, buit I would say I was going up to the San.
Actually, I would use the hospital's name as there are 2 hospitals (one public, one private) within our area, so "the" wouldn't be used unless it's part of the name - eg "The Children's Hospital". I wouldn't say I was going to the St Vincent's, buit I would say I was going up to the San.
I would just as likely to say "I am going to the Royal (meaning the Royal Hobart Hospital). However in Hobart if you say "I am going to the hospital" people will just assume you mean the Royal.
As far as the other hospitals in Hobart are concerned
Calvary Hospital - I am going to the Calvary to visit a friend.
St Helens Hospital - I am going to St Helens Hospital to visit a friend (can't just say St Helens because St Helens is a town in Tasmana)
St Johns - I am going to St Johns Hospital (to distinguish it from St Johns Park)
Hobart Private - I am going to Hobart Private..........
Repatriation General Hospital - I am going to the Repat
however none of these hospitals are THE HOSPITAL (as that can only be the Royal).
Similarly - "The Prince of Wales Hospital" complex/campus comprising PoW Public, PoW Private, Royal Hospital for Women aka The Royal, and Sydney Children's - no "the" (not to be confused with The Children's Hospital at Westmead), Campbelltown or Liverpool Hospital but The Nepean Hospital.
No risk for me to losing it. Even if I tried.We shoul just keep our awesome foreign accent
Which I don't, since if I tried to hide my Italian accent, I would end up mumbling and sounding like an drunken Scottish shepherd. A dinnae knou why! It jusht 'appensh!
No risk for me to losing it. Even if I tried.We shoul just keep our awesome foreign accent
Which I don't, since if I tried to hide my Italian accent, I would end up mumbling and sounding like an drunken Scottish shepherd. A dinnae knou why! It jusht 'appensh!
Stay away from the cooking sherry
Doors sound squeaky if their hinges haven't been oiled in a long time.^^ Yeah, but what do doors and floors sound like?
Floors don't make a sound unless somebody walks on them.
Really, this whole “pause/pours” thing is getting a bit old. Just watch American and British TV shows to hear how those sounds are pronounced on opposite sides of the pond.
Doors sound squeaky if their hinges haven't been oiled in a long time.^^ Yeah, but what do doors and floors sound like?
Floors don't make a sound unless somebody walks on them.
Really, this whole “pause/pours” thing is getting a bit old. Just watch American and British TV shows to hear how those sounds are pronounced on opposite sides of the pond.
No, no, no - Watch "Neighbours" or "Home and Away" for correct pronunciation
Neither, actually, as Americans rarely use sick to describe vomit (as either a noun or a verb). Sick is used to mean ill, so that "I was sick yesterday," would just mean that I wasn't feeling well, not necessarily that I vomited. We just use the verb vomit or say "throwing up/threw up."
Thanks for the info. I wonder why the writers made Charlie use that phrase in LOST. It sounded totally wrong when I heard it.
I guess they just wanted him to mean he was becoming ill.
(I don't watch the show - just going by yours and tsq's description)
(I don't watch the show - just going by yours and tsq's description)
Although if an American-English speaker provided a specific context and time, like, "I got sick at the restaurant," they would almost certainly mean that they had vomited unless they provided some other point cause of illness like passing out, which they would specify. "Being sick" is definitely an awkward construction to American ears and I wouldn't associate it with vomiting, though.
^True. I didn't think of that usage. It's funny how particular language can be.
The conversation was
KATE - what were you doing in the bathroom?
CHARLIE - I thought you could tell. I was getting sick. Puking. My one tangible contribution to the trek.
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It's actually more of a genteel euphemism. It isn't used much nowadays, except in situations where “vomit” or “throw up” might offend more delicate sensibilites.
“I was sick all over the floor” does sound rather silly. It's a bit like saying, “They caught him abusing himself into the baptismal font.”
To me, words like "home, school, and work" are more like vague ideas than specific places. Kids go to school. It doesn't matter which school they go to; they have to go to school, and most likely there isn't just one school in the town. My hometown has 25+ elementary schools, 14 middles schools, and 4 (soon to be 5) high schools. If I said, "he's going to the school," you'd have to do some investigation to figure out which school I'm talking about. That said, we only have one hospital, so when you need to go to a hospital, you go to THE hospital.
Then again, I hear lots of non-Americans say things like "going to university," which sounds awkward to me as well. You go to college. You go to grad school. Nobody goes to university.
Then again, I hear lots of non-Americans say things like "going to university," which sounds awkward to me as well. You go to college. You go to grad school. Nobody goes to university.
"College" here usually are institutions of Technical and further education or Private learning institutes like business colleges. They usually award diplomas. Universities award degrees. A TAFE diploma can articulate into a degree at a Uni (ie give you advanced standing/ entry point at 2nd Yr in a 3-4 year degree). If you want undergrad and post grad degrees, you go to Uni.
ETA: ALso here, many private primary & secondary schools are called colleges
Yeah, the words have slightly different meaning in America. A technical school is usually just called a technical school. A junior college offers associates degrees. A college offers a 4-year bachelors degree. A university is a college that has graduate programs. Even so, the phrase "going to university" doesn't really get said. Even if we do attend a university for a graduate program, we would say, "I'm going to grad school."
Post grad courses - we just say I'm doing post grad studies
Technical Schools in NSW are a particular type of academically selective high school. TAFE colleges are tertiary institutions but more geared to trades - apprentices etc. At Uni, the residences where "out of town" students live during semester are the "Colleges" - (even though DS2 lived off campus when he was at CSU in Wagga Wagga).
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