“So, how
was the meeting? Was it as dull as usual or did people...”
“It was quite lively for a change.
A few old men whom I’d never seen before piped up. They had a lot of things...”
“Piped up? Does it mean that they
spoke... they had things to say?”
“That’s right! When you ‘pipe up’,
you interrupt others and say something. You speak quite unexpectedly. Someone
from the back row piped up, ‘How long do we have to sit in these uncomfortable
chairs?’ Everyone laughed.”
“I’m sure Rahul will pipe up when
he realises that his letters are not being taken seriously. That reminds me, I
need to call him. Can I borrow your phone?”
“Borrow my phone? Where’s yours?
Did you lose it?”
“I don’t think so. It could be
quite possible that I left it in Rahul’s house.”
“You don’t normally use ‘could’ or
‘can’ before ‘possible’. You normally say, ‘it is possible’ and not ‘could be
possible’ — especially when you’re talking about a past event.”
“So, I have to say, ‘It’s quite
possible that I left the phone in Rahul’s house’.”
“Good! It’s quite possible that
they went to the wrong hotel.”
“Talking about hotels, did you and
Ajit go to the new restaurant yesterday?”
“Yes, we did. The food wasn’t
anything great, but we managed to...”
“You should worry about the food
only when you are paying for it. Last night’s dinner was Ajit’s treat, wasn’t
it?”
“That’s what I thought. But when
the bill arrived, he said we should go Dutch.” “Go Dutch? What does it mean?”
“When you go Dutch, you agree to
share the cost of something with someone. You end up paying half the amount.”
“I can understand college students
going Dutch when they go to a restaurant. But why would people with good jobs
go Dutch? It doesn’t make sense. Both of you have money.”
“Let’s just say that Ajit is very
careful with his. He always insists on going Dutch.”
“When Shekar took Gayathri to a
movie, she insisted that they go Dutch.”
“Good for her. Is Gayathri the
person who keeps saying ‘good morning’, no matter...”
“That’s right! Like many people in
our country, she says ‘good morning’ at three o’clock in the afternoon. But
it’s okay, right? Especially, if you happen to be seeing the person for the
first time that day.”
“No, it’s not okay. You usually
wish someone ‘good morning’ before noon. Anything after twelve o’clock, you
usually say ‘good afternoon’ or good evening’. Depending on what time of day it
is.”
“So ‘good morning’ has nothing to
do with whether you’re seeing a person for the first time or not?”
“No, it doesn’t! If I see you for
the first time at two o’clock in the afternoon, I have to wish you ‘good
afternoon’, and not ‘good morning’. That’s what a native speaker would do. If
you wish someone ‘good morning’ at three o’clock in the afternoon, he’ll
probably think you’re trying to be funny!”
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