Grammar and Gossip
2022-11-11
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1Imagine a time when you heard information about the personal life or behavior of another person - a friend, a neighbor, a classmate, or even a famous person.
2In other words, you heard gossip.
3What kinds of terms and structures do English speakers commonly use to gossip?
4 Let's start with a few important terms and definitions.
5Gossip is information about the personal lives and behavior of other people.
6 The information can be either correct or incorrect.
7While many people have a bad opinion of gossip (at least when they are the subject of it),
8 the reality is that most people join in it from time to time.
9English speakers commonly use a few verbs when gossiping.
10These verbs often connect with the senses such as hearing and seeing.
11For example:
12I heard that Tom got into trouble.
13Sally said she saw the police arrest him!
14In the example, we have the past forms heard and saw.
15 Note that the speaker is telling information about Tom's life and possible behavior.
16The speaker did not actually experience the events.
17In our example, the speaker reported something.
18This is a general way that gossip spreads: one person says or tells something to another person.
19As a result, verbs that describe speaking - such as tell or say - are commonly used in gossip. Consider these examples:
20Sally told me about Tom's troubles.
21Sally said Tom has been getting into trouble.
22Gossip often makes up part of a larger discussion.
23As a result, speakers often bring up the subject of gossip by asking a question.
24The helping verbs do and have play an especially important part in these questions.
25This is because these helping verbs are used to create yes or no questions.
26Let's explore one common structure:
27do or have + subject + main verb + the rest of the sentence.
28For example:
29Did you hear about Tom?
30Have you heard about what Tom did?
31Note that the main verb in both of these examples is hear (or heard).
32Although the verb's exact meaning connects with the ear or the sense of hearing, it often also has a broader meaning.
33In other words, it can also mean to be aware of something.
34For example, a person might say they "heard about a scandal" even if they learned of the scandal by reading about it in a newspaper or on the internet.
35Let's take some time to work on these ideas.
36Use the verb hear to talk about a famous actor's divorce.
37Pause the audio to consider your answer.
38Here is one possible answer:
39I heard about the actor's divorce.
40Now form a question about a person named Sally.
41Be sure to use helping verbs such as do or have.
42Pause the audio to consider your answer.
43Here are two possible answers:
44Did you hear about Sally?
45Have you heard about Sally?
46The goal of today's report was not to make you want to gossip.
47Rather, the goal was to get you thinking about how grammar connects with a common subject of discussion.
48The next time you listen to English speakers - perhaps in a movie or show - pay careful attention to how they share information.
49And if you notice questions such as "Did you hear about....?" or "Have you heard about....?"
50then you might want to prepare yourself to listen to some gossip.
51I'm John Russell.
1Imagine a time when you heard information about the personal life or behavior of another person - a friend, a neighbor, a classmate, or even a famous person. 2In other words, you heard gossip. 3What kinds of terms and structures do English speakers commonly use to gossip? Let's start with a few important terms and definitions. 4Definitions, verbs 5Gossip is information about the personal lives and behavior of other people. The information can be either correct or incorrect. 6While many people have a bad opinion of gossip (at least when they are the subject of it), the reality is that most people join in it from time to time. 7English speakers commonly use a few verbs when gossiping. These verbs often connect with the senses such as hearing and seeing. 8For example: 9I heard that Tom got into trouble. Sally said she saw the police arrest him! 10In the example, we have the past forms heard and saw. Note that the speaker is telling information about Tom's life and possible behavior. The speaker did not actually experience the events. 11In our example, the speaker reported something. This is a general way that gossip spreads: one person says or tells something to another person. As a result, verbs that describe speaking - such as tell or say - are commonly used in gossip. Consider these examples: 12Sally told me about Tom's troubles. 13Sally said Tom has been getting into trouble. 14Helping verbs, yes/no questions 15Gossip often makes up part of a larger discussion. As a result, speakers often bring up the subject of gossip by asking a question. The helping verbs do and have play an especially important part in these questions. This is because these helping verbs are used to create yes or no questions. 16Let's explore one common structure: 17do or have + subject + main verb + the rest of the sentence. 18For example: 19Did you hear about Tom? 20Have you heard about what Tom did? 21Note that the main verb in both of these examples is hear (or heard). Although the verb's exact meaning connects with the ear or the sense of hearing, it often also has a broader meaning. In other words, it can also mean to be aware of something. 22For example, a person might say they "heard about a scandal" even if they learned of the scandal by reading about it in a newspaper or on the internet. 23Practice 24Let's take some time to work on these ideas. Use the verb hear to talk about a famous actor's divorce. 25Pause the audio to consider your answer. 26Here is one possible answer: 27I heard about the actor's divorce. 28Now form a question about a person named Sally. Be sure to use helping verbs such as do or have. 29Pause the audio to consider your answer. 30Here are two possible answers: 31Did you hear about Sally? 32Have you heard about Sally? 33Closing thoughts 34The goal of today's report was not to make you want to gossip. Rather, the goal was to get you thinking about how grammar connects with a common subject of discussion. 35The next time you listen to English speakers - perhaps in a movie or show - pay careful attention to how they share information. And if you notice questions such as "Did you hear about....?" or "Have you heard about....?" then you might want to prepare yourself to listen to some gossip. 36I'm John Russell. 37John Russell wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 38___________________________________________________________________ 39Words in This Story 40gossip - n. information about the behavior and personal lives of other people 41scandal - n. an occurrence in which people are shocked and upset because of behavior that is morally or legally wrong