It is Sunday. Fortunately, we got an extra hour sleep thanks to the Daylight Saving Time. That’s great!
Today, I am feeling like a MI5 agent. My mission is: going to a public space and eavesdrop conversations. I am a grammar chaser. That’s my report:
12:03, Java House: two young women are chatting. They are talking about a couple, maybe friends of them. One says: “Katrina’s been obsessing about him ever...” They keep talking, after a while, the other replies: “I think he has some ‘splaining to do.”
Comment: First, I like the tense that she uses: It must be a very long time. It is also interesting the use of “ever” as “always.” Second, it’s funny how we can play with the language. In the second sentence she could have said: “he has to explain something” but, instead of this, she makes use of a periphrasis and adds an adjective, sounding more subjective.
13:54, Pedestrian Mall: I am sitting on a bench, close to the playground. Children are playing and mothers are talking. You know, recent and future mothers always talk about two things: their children or pregnant women.
I hear: “She looks to god for be having a girl... must be boy...”
Comment: It’s an amazing sentence. Women have this special feeling for some things. Grammatically interesting are the ellipsis and how have and be can describe almost everything.
14:07, End of the mission. I’m starving.
1 comment:
Your blog gave me this huge smile, right here in my office. My colleagues will think about how much I must love my job! I like the phrase "been obsessing over" to mean thinking way too much about someone. :) I also guess she may have said "f'ever" because "ever" would be really unusual, but a reduction of "forever" would be much more likely. The pedmall is a great place for grammar missions. :)
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