Grammar and Christmas
2022-12-23
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1Many Americans experience surprise (or disappointment) when they wake up on Christmas Day.
2They might be surprised or disappointed by a family member's actions.
3They might be happy or unhappy about a Christmas gift.
4Imagine a child expects to get an Xbox or PlayStation for Christmas.
5On Christmas morning, they quickly open their gift .... Inside is an English grammar book.
6They might feel disappointed.
7The Everyday Grammar team would prefer the new English grammar book.
8But if you are like most young people, you would probably rather have a new videogame system.
9Today, we are going to explore those feelings - feelings of surprise and disappointment.
10In other words, we are going to explore how speakers show that reality was better or worse than their expectations.
11Many languages use words to express expectation.
12Speakers also use words to express how events are not happening as expected.
13This idea is known as "counter expectation."*
14Do not worry about the term. Just remember that it means that speakers use words to show that reality is going against (or countering) their expectations.
15English has many words that serve this purpose.
16Three of the most common are the words "even," "still," and "actually."
17You will often hear them in casual, everyday speech.
18Speakers use these words to show surprise or disappointment.
19The pitch of their voice tells you what they mean.
20Let's study examples of each word.
21Speakers often use the word "even" to show disappointment or surprise.
22Imagine a young child that expects a phone call from a family member - perhaps an uncle or grandparent.
23The phone call never comes. The child might say the following:
24What's wrong with him? He didn't even call me on Christmas day.
25Here, the child is expressing disappointment.
26She could have expressed the same idea in a much longer statement, such as: "I was expecting him to call on Christmas Day, but I didn't hear from him. Why didn't he give me a call?"
27"Even" highlights the child's disappointment because it emphasizes that the family member did not try to call.
28"Even" does not always have a sad meaning.
29It can have a happy meaning too.
30Imagine a man named Ted. Ted is a forgetful man.
31He forgets to send letters or gifts to his parents.
32Ted's parents might have the following talk after they get a Christmas letter from him:
33Did you see Ted's letter?
34Yeah - he even sent us a gift!"
35Here, the word "even" shows a pleasant surprise.
36Ted's mother did not expect a gift from him.
37By saying "he even sent us a gift" she is suggesting that Ted has gone beyond her expectations.
38Americans sometimes use "still" for showing how reality does not quite meet their expectations.
39Consider this example, from the 1986 film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
40At the end of the film, Ferris says the following lines.
41A different speaker might say similar lines after a lengthy, tiring, and disagreeable family Christmas party:
42You're still here? It's over! Go home. Go!
43In the film, you can see the surprised look on Ferris' face.
44When he says, "You're still here," you can tell he did not expect people to still be around. He is a little disappointed.
45Now, imagine a different situation. A family is having a Christmas dinner.
46They are looking for one family member, Uncle Bob. They wonder if he left without saying goodbye.
47Have you seen Uncle Bob?
48No. Did he leave? Wait! There he is! He's still here!
49The way the final speaker says "still" shows that she is surprised to learn he was still at the dinner. She expected otherwise.
50A third common word that shows surprise or disappointment is "actually."
51"Actually" suggests something is true - even when it differs from what might have been thought or expected.
52Remember Uncle Bob? Bob has always been a nice guy.
53Imagine Uncle Bob sees a Christmas present he likes, and then runs away with it.
54A speaker might say:
55I can't believe it! Uncle Bob actually stole her Christmas gift.
56Here, the speaker uses "actually" to emphasize the unexpectedness of a happening - Uncle Bob stealing the present.
57She does not sound very happy!
58Speakers can use "actually" to show positive feelings, too.
59Think back to our character Ted - the guy who always forgets to give gifts for Christmas.
60His parents could have shown their surprise at receiving a gift from Ted by saying the following:
61Ted actually gave us a gift!
62Here, the word "actually" shows that they are pleasantly surprised at this strange happening: Ted remembered Christmas!
63The next time you are listening to an English speaker, try to find examples of words that show "counter expectation."
64Is the speaker expressing surprise or disappointment? How does the speaker change the pitch of their voice?
65By answering these questions, you will start to learn how English speakers communicate emotions in subtle ways.
66Excuse me, John, are you still recording your show?
67Yes!
68You're still recording? We have to go to the Christmas party!
69Oh no! I had actually forgotten about that! And that's Everyday Grammar.
70I'm John Russell.
71I'm Anna Mateo.
72And I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Many Americans experience surprise (or disappointment) when they wake up on Christmas Day. 2They might be surprised or disappointed by a family member's actions. They might be happy or unhappy about a Christmas gift. 3Imagine a child expects to get an Xbox or PlayStation for Christmas. On Christmas morning, they quickly open their gift .... Inside is an English grammar book. 4They might feel disappointed. 5The Everyday Grammar team would prefer the new English grammar book. But if you are like most young people, you would probably rather have a new videogame system. 6Today, we are going to explore those feelings - feelings of surprise and disappointment. In other words, we are going to explore how speakers show that reality was better or worse than their expectations. 7Counter expectation 8Many languages use words to express expectation. Speakers also use words to express how events are not happening as expected. This idea is known as "counter expectation."* 9Do not worry about the term. Just remember that it means that speakers use words to show that reality is going against (or countering) their expectations. 10English has many words that serve this purpose. Three of the most common are the words "even," "still," and "actually." You will often hear them in casual, everyday speech. 11Speakers use these words to show surprise or disappointment. The pitch of their voice tells you what they mean. 12Let's study examples of each word. 13#1 Even 14Speakers often use the word "even" to show disappointment or surprise. 15Imagine a young child that expects a phone call from a family member - perhaps an uncle or grandparent. The phone call never comes. The child might say the following: 16What's wrong with him? He didn't even call me on Christmas day. 17Here, the child is expressing disappointment. She could have expressed the same idea in a much longer statement, such as: "I was expecting him to call on Christmas Day, but I didn't hear from him. Why didn't he give me a call?" 18"Even" highlights the child's disappointment because it emphasizes that the family member did not try to call. 19"Even" does not always have a sad meaning. It can have a happy meaning too. 20Imagine a man named Ted. Ted is a forgetful man. He forgets to send letters or gifts to his parents. 21Ted's parents might have the following talk after they get a Christmas letter from him: 22Did you see Ted's letter? 23Yeah - he even sent us a gift!" 24Here, the word "even" shows a pleasant surprise. Ted's mother did not expect a gift from him. By saying "he even sent us a gift" she is suggesting that Ted has gone beyond her expectations. 25#2 Still 26Americans sometimes use "still" for showing how reality does not quite meet their expectations. 27Consider this example, from the 1986 film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. At the end of the film, Ferris says the following lines. A different speaker might say similar lines after a lengthy, tiring, and disagreeable family Christmas party: 28You're still here? It's over! Go home. Go! 29In the film, you can see the surprised look on Ferris' face. When he says, "You're still here," you can tell he did not expect people to still be around. He is a little disappointed. 30Now, imagine a different situation. A family is having a Christmas dinner. They are looking for one family member, Uncle Bob. They wonder if he left without saying goodbye. 31Have you seen Uncle Bob? 32No. Did he leave? Wait! There he is! He's still here! 33The way the final speaker says "still" shows that she is surprised to learn he was still at the dinner. She expected otherwise. 34#3 Actually 35A third common word that shows surprise or disappointment is "actually." 36"Actually" suggests something is true - even when it differs from what might have been thought or expected. 37Remember Uncle Bob? Bob has always been a nice guy. 38Imagine Uncle Bob sees a Christmas present he likes, and then runs away with it. A speaker might say: 39I can't believe it! Uncle Bob actually stole her Christmas gift. 40Here, the speaker uses "actually" to emphasize the unexpectedness of a happening - Uncle Bob stealing the present. She does not sound very happy! 41Speakers can use "actually" to show positive feelings, too. 42Think back to our character Ted - the guy who always forgets to give gifts for Christmas. 43His parents could have shown their surprise at receiving a gift from Ted by saying the following: 44Ted actually gave us a gift! 45Here, the word "actually" shows that they are pleasantly surprised at this strange happening: Ted remembered Christmas! 46What can you do? 47The next time you are listening to an English speaker, try to find examples of words that show "counter expectation." Is the speaker expressing surprise or disappointment? How does the speaker change the pitch of their voice? 48By answering these questions, you will start to learn how English speakers communicate emotions in subtle ways. 49Excuse me, John, are you still recording your show? 50Yes! 51You're still recording? We have to go to the Christmas party! 52Oh no! I had actually forgotten about that! And that's Everyday Grammar. 53I'm John Russell. 54I'm Anna Mateo. 55And I'm Ashley Thompson. 56John Russell wrote this lesson for Learning English. 57We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. 58*John McWhorter. Why English Won't - and Can't - Sit Still (Like, Literally). Picador. 2016 pgs. 37-41 59__________________________________________________________________ 60Words in This Story 61prefer - v. to like (someone or something) better than someone or something else 62rather - adv. used to indicate what you want or prefer to do, have, etc. 63pitch - n. the highness or lowness of a sound 64emphasize - v. to give special attention to (something) : to place emphasis on (something) 65disappointment - n. a feeling of sadness or displeasure when one's hopes or expectations are not fulfilled 66casual - adj. not formal 67positive - adj. thinking about the good qualities of someone or something : thinking that a good result will happen: hopeful or optimistic 68subtle - adj. hard to notice or see : not obvious