STEPHEN ALLEN STRATTON

Copyright 2014 by Stephen Allen Stratton

The Art of Speaking American English

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part
of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever
without written permission except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First Edition October 2014

Contents
Part I The Basics
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter One

The Grammar Trap

Chapter Two

The Square Principle: Long Vowels, Short Consonants

Chapter Three

Rise and Fall: The Relationship Between Economy of Breathing

and Correct Pronunciation

Chapter Four

Linking Words

Chapter Five

The Pencil Technique

Chapter Six

Why Reading Novels Can Make You Your Best English Teacher

Chapter Seven

The Layering Effect

Chapter Eight

Using The Sandwich Principle To Remember Articles the, an and a

Chapter Nine

Counting Words

10

Chapter Ten

A Habit To Avoid : Repeating Dialogue Verbatim

11

Chapter Eleven

Helpful Notes on Pronunciation

12

Part II Important Word Comparisons

________________________________________________________________________
Chapter Twelve

Expressing Location Using Prepositions in, on, at

15

Chapter Thirteen

make, have, tell

24

Chapter Fourteen

beginning/early, middle/mid, end/late

26

Chapter Fifteen

ago; in; after that/later/following; before that/preceding

28

Chapter Sixteen

that vs it

31

Chapter Seventeen

so vs that

34

Chapter Eighteen

is/are vs was/were

37

Chapter Nineteen

can, be able to, be capable of

Chapter Twenty

come home/come back home, get home/be home,

38

go home /go back home

40

Chapter Twenty-One

will (eat, help, etc.) vs the present progressive -ing (eating, helping, etc.)

43

Chapter Twenty-Two

want, would like, hope, wish, if only

45

Chapter Twenty-Three rent, borrow, check out

46

Chapter Twenty-Four

by myself, on my own, myself

48

Chapter Twenty-Five

while vs during

50

Chapter Twenty-Six

because vs in that

52

Chapter Twenty-Seven recently vs lately

54

Chapter Twenty-Eight go home, go back home, go uptown, go downtown,

Chapter Twenty-Nine

come here, go there, go over there

55

even if < > even then / even when / even though < > even so

56

Preface

It is well within your grasp to speak English fluently and with confidence, just what you have always dreamed
of. It all begins with simple techniques that are, unfortunately, seldom explored in the classroom setting. You
have no doubt wondered in frustration why children master conversational English as easily as clowns do
summersaults, while adults often wade on through the linguistic swamp of classic textbook instruction that
invariably fails to help them make use of even the simplest of phrases, particularly on the spur of the moment.
It is not uncommon, for instance, to hear that ordering fast food in English requires a monumental effort on the
part of the most dedicated student, which is often characterized by embarrassingly pointing to rather than
saying what the order is. Far more daunting is the prospect of discussing ones profession or career in English
to any reasonable depth, equally the objective of educators, scientists, medical doctors, business people,
attorneys and the enthusiastic job hunter fresh out of college. Born of Stephen Stratton's more than twenty
five years of teaching Japanese students of English in the United States and Japan, his unique creative
approach to education, and significant contributions to science research through translation, proofreading, and
revision of science papers for publication in internationally recognized science journals, you will find in the
pages of this timely handbook meticulously explained but easily applied methods of language acquisition that
will put you on the path to mastering the art of speaking American English.

Chapter One The Grammar Trap

To begin with, I would like to dispense with the notion that one dialect or accent of English is in any way more
attractive than another. The objective of this book is to familiarize you, the earnest reader, with American
English without making any such comparisons.

Moving on, when it comes to learning a new language much can be said for having a working understanding of
rudimentary grammar. That said, as the old maxim goes, 'You can have too much of a good thing'. In the
same vein, the following perfectly illustrates why strictly adhering to textbook instruction can actually hamper
the student's progress.
A. Is that Ken and Hana over there? Yes, it's them.

B. Is that Ken and Hana over there? Yes, it's they.

B is grammatically correct, but you would be hard pressed to find anyone in the general population in the U.S.
who would say they instead of them in this case. Of course, you might ask why an intelligent person would
make such a mistake. The answer is not a simple one, however much your current English teacher might tell
you it is. Poor English, is most often the explanation, given in sincerity. The reply, far closer to the truth, is
that society as a whole ultimately decides over time which lines can be crossed in deviating from established
rules of grammar. You could say there are no concrete rules. So, let us begin our journey with an opened
mind, tossing the years of strict guidelines hamstringing that marvelously designed depository of learning, the
brain.

Chapter Two The Square Principle: Long Vowels, Short Consonants

Unlike the Japanese language where all sounds or syllables are essentially voiced in the same length, ka ki ku
ke ko and so on, to be clearly understood in English vowels a e i o u must be stretched or sustained longer
than all consonants, b c d f g and so forth. Furthermore, all vowels require a uniformed length just as the
shorter consonants do. In some cases, vowels may be entirely omitted for ease of pronunciation, as in the
following sentence:
(o and e are silent)

He went t(o) th(e) store.

I term this the Square Principal. The four sides of a square must be equal in length, and if not, it cannot be
considered a square. Similarly, all voiced vowels must have the same length. Otherwise, the word being used
is no longer an English word in so far as your listeners cannot understand what is being said. Try saying the
following word as you normally would.
Refrigerator
Say the word again taking care to stretch all the vowels.
(the t in the suffix tor is pronounced with a d sound)

Reee friii geee raaa tooor

Now for something more challenging.
Note: red letter vowels must be are stretched (= sustained)

ea / o / o e / (o) /u / (e) / i / a / i / (e)/e i e a o / a e /ou /a(e)/i i (e)

(o in to is omitted)

(e > a sound in the is omitted)

(e in finished is silent/d becomes t)

Please/don't/forget/to/put/the/milk/back/in/the/refrigerator/after/you/are/finished
(e > a sound in the is omitted)

(t in refrigerator is pronounced d)

Chapter Three

Rise and Fall: The Relationship Between Economy of Breathing and

Correct Pronunciation

For those of us who are less inclined toward the intense physical challenge of sports there are few activities
more exhilarating, in my opinion, than riding a bicycle down hill, feeling the wind in your hair, effortlessly
steering the handlebars as you seemingly glide above the surface of the ground.

It's a rush!, as we

Americans say. To point out the obvious, this requires little strength to accomplish; the incline pretty much
does all the work for you.
Applying the instructive dynamics of nature to the example sentence, pronounce each word at a lower tone
than the word that proceeds it (going down hill). This will allow you to easily stretch vowels and breath
smoothly, eliminating the tendency to speak haltingly or disjointedly. The idea is to start your sentence at a
reasonably high point - without shouting - and end at a low point. Follow the assigned pattern. Do not forget
to stretch your vowels.

Please
don't

to put
forget

the

back
milk

in the

after
refrigerator

you are
finished.

Chapter Four

Linking Words

My beginning students, if asked, would certainly tell you if anything can be said to be truly difficult about
learning to speak American English it would undoubtedly be the process of acquiring the necessary skill to link
or string words together in such a way that makes them all sound like one long word. These long words fly by
in rapid succession leaving students linguistically dizzy and desperate to know what somebody has just said.
Though this has likely been covered in one text book or another, I thought it bare reviewing since it continues
to be a significant obstacle to overcome.

To take the mystery out of what really is a simple trick, look closely at how syllables and single letters can be
cut away from one word and attached to the word that directly proceeds it. Pay particular attention to the
cases in which letters are omitted or modified to make the sentence flow smoothly.

(e > a sound in the is omitted)

(ga)

(men)

(gat)

Everybody('s on) th(e) roller-coaster, havin(g a) wonderful ti(me an)(d) screamin(g at) th(e)
(zon / s is pronounced z)

(the a in and is silent/ The d outside the parenthesis is dropped) (e > a sound in the is omitted)

to(p of) their lungs.

(pov)

Difficult as this may seem, the more time spent reading the easier it becomes to link words, and that is a
guarantee.

Chapter Five

The Pencil Technique

Let us imagine two automobile engines having exactly the same parts and designed to perform in the same
way. Over time, the two engines, attributable to several variables, will come to perform differently. Here we
have an analogy applicable to Japanese and Americans being physiologically the same, when it comes to facial
muscles, at birth. We see that this is true when considering that American Japanese speak English fluently in
the same way Americans born and raised in Japan speak Japanese. 19 groups consisting of roughly 52
individual muscles allow the human face to stretch and contort into a wide range of expressions, that, in part,
enable us to articulate language. As we grow, we learn to primarily make use of the facial muscles that best
help us to articulate the language naturally spoken from childhood. In time, a seemingly unchangeable pattern
of vocalization is established.
What seems to be an insurmountable impediment can be overcome utilizing the pencil technique, while at
same time, saving you the expense of a vocal coach. The technique is as simple as it is effective. It requires a
pencil, as you might guess, and just a little determination on your part. Choose a novel to read from. Find any
passage in the book. Firmly place the eraser end of the pencil between your upper and lower teeth. Lightly
bite down. Hold the other end of the pencil as still as possible and begin to read. Heavily overemphasize your
syllables: your mouth and jaw will soon get a little tired and may ache a bit.
To understand why this effectively improves your English, just imagine a rubber band that is a little too small to
fit around an object, such as a rolled up newspaper. Carefully stretching the rubber band for a few minutes will
enlarge it enough to accomplish your goal. In the same way, working your facial muscles with the pencil
between your teeth will give you the ability to stretch your face, so to speak, allowing you to pronounce words
with ease you were previously unable to. 10 minutes a day of this technique should be sufficient.

Chapter Six Why Reading Novels Can Make You Your Best English Teacher

Everywhere you go these days, you see advertisements promising to teach you English, on trains and buses, in
shopping malls, airports, hotels, and even in business centers.

TV commercials depict businessman and

businesswomen ready to meet the world with confidence, equipped with their newly learned English language
skills acquired at the purported best-school in Japan. If you happen to be one of those ambitious people who
have spent a sizable amount of hard earned cash attending such a school, you might be asking yourself if it
was worth it, and why it still seems incredibly difficult to hold a simple conversation in English. You might even
be blaming yourself. Don't do that!
The little secret that you have unlikely heard is that reaching your goal of speaking English proficiently is far
easier and less costly than you could ever imagine. The world is full of books from manuals to academic works
to inform and educate, but there is nothing quite like novels, regardless of the genre, that present the reader
with the broadest perspective available on how English is actually spoken in everyday settings.
Nothing, to be sure, should or can replace actual conversation with native speakers of your target language.
Nevertheless, depending solely on conversation can result in a limited vocabulary and the habit of using
subpar grammar, sometimes very tough to break. Reason being, more often than not topics are superficially
discussed and for obvious reasons, politeness and so forth, Americans are seldom inclined to mention a
grammar mistake when they hear it, if they notice it at all. So, for most people, the ability to speak a foreign
language well and intelligently correlates with the amount of time spent reading in the language.

Review: A Few Indispensable Rules Of Reading

1. Read Aloud
Listening to your own voice accomplishes a couple of very important things: the tendency to skip over words
you do not know or have trouble pronouncing is eliminated, and, you simulate actual conversation, especially
when it comes to dialogue between story characters.

2. Avoiding The Tendency To Use Dictionaries, Electronic Translators, And Other Learning Aids
Just picture yourself watching a movie and someone in the room pauses the show every few minutes to get
6

something to drink, eat, or search the dictionary for some word or other spoken in the movie they did not
understand. You would find this extremely frustrating to say the least, as it would make it practically
impossible to enjoy the story. You put your brain through the same taxing affair when you depend on a
dictionary to do what your imagination is supposed to do for you. In the words of my erstwhile and excellent
Japanese professor, If you don't know it, guess!

3. Utilize All Techniques Covered In Previous Chapters

Think of the gears in a wristwatch; all it takes for the sensitive mechanism to go awry is for one single cog to
break. The aforementioned techniques, for all intents and purposes, are the gears that turn and their cogs that
mesh in the process of learning to speak English like a pro. Use them all.

Chapter Seven The Layering Effect

The tendency to get bogged down in too many facts too fast in the processes of learning is compounded by a
number of today's accepted methods of language acquisition that encourage students to tackle every part of
speech at the same time. Inadvertently, some parts of speech, such as adverbs, are largely neglected.
In stark contrast, children gather information in stages, a kind of layering effect, each layer coalescing with the
one that came before, building an ever stronger foundation, which leads to rapid improvement in listening
comprehension, writing skills and conversational skills. I have seen this firsthand in Japanese children I teach in
the U.S. and Japan.
Fortunately, it does not take much effort on the part of the adult student to obtain similar results by applying
the layering effect to their daily reading. Focus on one part of speech at a time. Though to some degree it is
a matter of preference, a good start is to pay close attention to adverbs. Adverbs help the reader wonderfully
visualize the force and nature of verbs. Consider the following with and without adverbs; the later paints a far
vivid picture of the tense atmosphere in the meeting room.

A. He stood up in the middle of the meeting and said he did not agree with the new company policy.

B. He abruptly stood up in the middle of the meeting, and angrily said he did not agree with the new company
policy.

Focus on adverbs, your first layer, for two to three months or until you feel confident to try using them more
often in daily conversation. By then, you will be ready to move on to adjectives and other parts of speech,
repeating the same process. Keep in mind that you are not studying but rather absorbing the language, which
will help you to relax and enjoy literary works, a necessary factor, by the way, to mastering any language. On
your mark, get set, go!

Chapter Eight Using The Sandwich Principle To Remember Articles the, an and a

Arguably, one of the most pesky features of English is the necessity for articles the, an and a. If you have a
favorite sandwich hopefully you do - etch a picture of it in your mind and keep it there at all times when
speaking, reading and writing English. The regular homemade sandwich is made up of two slices of bread,
and meat, lettuce, and cheese in between. Let us pretend an article and the noun it ultimately modifies are
two slices of bread, and what you find in between, verbs, adverbs and adjectives, are the meat and cheese,
etc. There is hardly a paragraph in English that does not contain many of these article/noun sandwiches.
Having your favorite sandwich in mind at all times, you will be less likely to drop needed articles.
How many sandwiches are in the example paragraph below?

I drove the boss' car to the factory yesterday to pick up a new employee who had flown in from the U.S. just
the day before. He was a very tall fellow, wearing an expensive gray tweed suite and the finest pair of
designer shoes I had ever seen. It was a bit difficult to understand his New York accent. Surprisingly, he began
speaking Japanese in the Osaka dialect. From that point, we had no problem communicated, since I'm from
the county of Minamikawachi deep in the countryside in west Japan.

Chapter Nine Counting Words

As childish as it might seem, this is one of the best tricks I know to memorizing that sentence or phrase in a
speech you have practiced a hundred times but have not been able to say the words in the correct order.
Read the following sentence aloud and then cover it with a hand. If you cannot repeat it without looking, read
it again, counting the the number of words on your fingers. It might take a few tries, but in no time at all, you
will have your once difficult sentence nicely tucked away in your memory for when you need it. Try it!

Whether or not you master the English language depends on how much time you put into reading novels.

10

Chapter Ten

A Habit To Avoid : Repeating Dialogue Verbatim

Someone once said, The best person for a job is a lazy man, because he is sure to find the easiest, fasted way
to get things done. This sounds like a fair assumption, and may actually be true in a variety of scenarios,
though usually not when it comes to explaining what someone else has previously said. Quoting someone
verbatim is the lazy man in conversational English, and should generally be avoided except in cases where it is
necessary for purposes of relating exclamatory statements, sarcasm, humor, and so forth.
Note the differences in case 1 and 2 among examples A, B and C. A and C are both preferable to B. While A
is a basic description of what Mary said, C makes use of quotation marks punctuated by an exclamation point
to make Natsuko's statement exclamatory. The quotation marks in B attempt to imitate C without making use
of the emphasis an exclamation point provides, but sounds much like A in tone. This combination is seldom
used in contemporary conversational English.
Case 1.
*A. Natsuko said she was unprepared to take the exam.
B. Natsuko said, I'm unprepared to take the exam.
*C. Natsuko said, Oh my gosh! I forgot to study for the exam!

Case 2.
(me is optional)

*A. Natsuko asked (me) why I decided to return to the United States.
B. Natsuko asked, Why did you decide to return to the United States?

*C. Natsuko asked/said , Why in the world would you return to the United States!

11

Chapter Eleven Helpful Notes on Pronunciation

> The Two r's

There is a lot of talk among Japanese about the letter r. To some, it sounds like the letter L, and to others, the
letter D, and there are those who will even tell you it sounds like a combination of L, D, and R. I am not going
to try to convince you which if any of these opinions are correct, or incorrect. What I can tell you, is that the
usual study approach to this is precisely what stands in the way of properly articulating the letter r.
It is important to understand that there are, in a sense, two very different sounds assigned to this letter. Learn
them both, and you will find yourself pronouncing the letter correctly as fast as you can bat an eye (idiom
extremely fast) .

> Lets start with what I've termed the kissing r, for the sake of easy memorization. Read the following
words aloud. When you pronounce the letter r, purse your lips as if you are going to kiss someone.
Rope

Red

Ring

Catering

Staggering

Candelabra

(the first g in staggering is omitted)

> Next, we have the other r sound I call the smiling r. When you pronounce the r in the following set
of words give yourself a big smile in a mirror.
Baker

Harbor

Curtains

Sandbar

Hercules

Hamburger Kimberly (girl's name)

> It is sometimes a bit difficult navigating through words that contain both the kissing r and smiling r
sounds. Even so, if you keep in mind the kiss and the smile, you are sure to get the hang of it. Try sounding
out the next set of words.
Traveler (Refrigerator)

Robber

(t in refrigerator is pronounced d)

(Carburetor) Canterbury Provocateur

(t in carburetor is pronounced d)

12

Words That Contain Double Consonants

> The Double Consonant Pattern

Patterns are always a good thing when it comes to learning something new, which is why the following is
relatively easy to remember. Generally, when a word contains two consonants side by side that are the same,
the first of the two letters is silent while the second is clearly pronounced.

As previously covered, it is

important that the vowel that proceeds the voiced consonant is stretched or sustained. Take your time with
this.
Cabby

(c in succinct is pronounced s)

Caddy

Effortlessly

Gaggle

Happy

(Letter) Sassy Succinct Savvy

(t in letter is pronounced d)

> Exceptions To The Double Consonant Pattern

Words that contain double consonants that are pronounced with different sounds, such as the following, are
the exception to the pattern. The first c is pronounced with a k sound, while the second c is pronounced with
an s sound.
Succeed

> Words That Contain Double t /Double d Followed By Letters en, an, on, in And Sometimes ain
Luckily, we have another pattern here to facilitate memorization. Generally speaking, double t and double d is
silent when directly followed by the letters en, an, on, in, and sometimes ain. Special attention must be given
to stretching and clearly pronouncing the vowels that precede and follow the silent double consonants.

Sudden Hidden Slidden

Flatten Fatten Kitten Bitten Mitten Forgotten

Admittance Pittance Quittance

Gittin (rare word) Lattin (> latten /rare word)

Cottony Button Stratton (family name)

13

> Exceptions to the Silent Double Consonant Pattern

There are fortunately few exceptions to the foregoing pattern. Words that begin with accented vowels, such
as Rattan and Attend, follow the pattern that applies to words that contain double consonants ss, pp, ll, and so
forth. Nouns made from verbs by adding -ing (gerunds) like Batting and Matting, are also excluded from the
pattern.

> Example Words That Contain Only One t That Follow The Double t Pattern
Pronounce the following just as if they contained double t.

Certain

Curtain

Latin

Potent (second t is voiced)

A rare case of the foregoing is the noun Captain, usually pronounced with a t sound, but in the military has
sometimes been colloquially pronounced by sailors Kapen, omitting the letter t altogether.

14

Part II Important Word Comparisons

Chapter Twelve

Expressing Location Using Prepositions in, on, at

Discussion 1 Basic Usage

in (Area)

on (Plane)

at (Location/Point On A Plane)

Example Sentence:
He/she/they live in (area) Yokohama on (plane) highway 246 at (specific location) 4332.
> The preposition in is used when expressing the existence of animate and inanimate objects (human
beings, animals, plants, buildings, etc.) within a general area (United States, Japan, Shizuoka, Osorezan,
Noboribetsu).
He lived in Tokyo in the Shibuya area for 65 years.

> The preposition on expresses the location of a person, place or thing on a plane (the plains of Japan,
the Akiyoshi-dai plateau, a roof, a street, a table, a wall, etc.). Common applications of on include expressing
where someone or something is on the surface of an object that is not necessarily flat [tree branch, landmass
(mountain, island), etc.]
He's lived on that mountain most of his life.

> The preposition at expresses the specific location (Tokyu Hands, Tokyo station, one's home, etc.)
where something or someone can be found within a general area (Tokyo City, Desert, etc.).
He's lived at the villa ever since he bought it in 1968.
15

Discussion 2 Comparison of Prepositions in and on

> Substituting in for on and visa versa changes the sense of location being expressed.
(A)

When using the preposition in to indicate location, a general area (comprised of more than one

plane/location) is expressed, such as a mountain range (plural > more than one mountain). In the same
respect, Tokyo is a general area made up of many locations.

He/she is in the mountains., is an instructive

example of this. Perhaps an easier to understand alternative sentence is He is somewhere among the
mountains, although not usually used in conversational English to express location in such a case.
(B) When using the preposition on to indicate location, a single plane is expressed, such as the surface of a
mountain (singular).
Sentence C has a very different meaning than sentences A and B. When using the preposition in to indicate
location, and, a single plane is expressed, the subject (person, animal, thing) in the sentence/statement is
literally inside the location (store, home, cave, etc.).

A. He is in (area) the mountains.

B. He is on (plane) the mountain.

(land mass/the surface of an object,
Continent of Africa, etc).

C. He is in the mountain (literally inside the mountain).

16

Discussion 3 Comparison of Prepositions on and at

(A) The preposition on (plane), indicates that the individual (he) is located somewhere on the surface of the
mountain (landmass). (B) at (a point on a plane > location), indicates the individual (he) is not actually on the
plane of the mountain (the mountain being expressed as one specific location), but on a different plane
somewhere around the base of the mountain. Hence, the idiomatic expression, Somebody is at the door (=
someone is knocking at your door). For further clarity on the subject, it can also be said that the individual in
this case is at a place where two planes meet.

A. He is on (plane) the mountain.

B. He is at (location) the mountain.

2. (A) and (B) essentially have the same meaning in conversational English, although strictly speaking, the
preposition on expresses the top of the mountain as a separate plane than that of the entire mountain (Note:
A is seldom said), while the preposition at expresses the top of the mountain as a point/location on a plane
(more exact).

A. He is on (plane) the top of the mountain.

B. He is at (a point on a plane) the

top of the mountain.

17

3. There are cases in which prepositions in and at cannot be effectively used to accurately pinpoint location.
The subjects in A and B are correctly said to be at the top of the mountain and at the bottom of the mountain
(two points on a single plane). However, the location of the subject (C 1,2) cannot be expressed by simply
saying He is in the middle of the mountain, nor He is at the middle of the mountain.
Using the preposition in would indicate the subject is actually somewhere inside the mountain, and using the
preposition at would indicate the subject is inside the mountain at its center ( at the center of the mountain).
The phrases halfway up and halfway down, up and down being used as prepositions here, accomplish what
prepositions in and at fail to do.

A. He is at the top of the mountain.

B. He is at the bottom of the mountain

C 1. He is half way up the mountain.

C 2. He is half way down the mountain.

(if the subject is headed up

(if the subject is headed down

the mountain, or stationary)

the mountain, or stationary)

18

Discussion 4 Detailed Comparison of Prepositions in and at

> The preposition in is used in 4 ways to express location, while the preposition at is used in 1 way to
express location.

Note: in (general area > area) is covered in previous discussions.

in

at

1. General Area/Region ( Tokyo, China,

1. Specific Location (Tokyo Tower,

Amazon Jungle)

Osaka University, One's home)

2. Specific Area (a room,the corner in a room,etc.)

3. Enclosure (cage, warehouse, etc.)
4. Receptacle (cup, bottle, etc.) Example: There's a fly in the coffee in the cup on the table.

> Example Diagrams and Explanations:

On the left, the speaker and his brother are at the same specific location, but in different specific areas. On
the right, the speaker and his brother are at different specific-locations.

I'm IN the front yard and my brother

I'm AT work, and my brother is at

is in the house.

home.

19

On the left, the speaker, his brother and cat are at the same specific location but in different specific areas. On
the right, the speaker, his brother and sister are at different specific-locations.

I'm IN the kitchen, my brother is in

I'm AT the beach, my brother is at

the front yard, and the cat is iN the

the store,and my sister is aT home.

corner of the living room.

> Additional Comparisons Of Prepositions in And at

Scenario I
Let's imagine that a scientist tells his wife when he gets home that he has forgotten his wallet at work. Using
the preposition at, the businessman first draws a distinction between two specific locations, his home where he
and his wife are at the moment, and his company where he left his wallet. He then calls the company and has
the following brief conversation with a colleague. The scientist uses the preposition in to draw a distinction
between the specific areas within the company, a specific location.
Kenji, I forgot my wallet there at the company, the scientist told his colleague on the phone. Would you
mind bringing it by my place on your way home tonight?
20

Yeah sure, where is it? Kenji asked.

It's in my office, on the desk. the scientist explained.

Scenario II
A little girl screams that she has seen a mouse running across her living room. Both the girl's mother and
brother make use of the preposition in to draw a distinction between specific areas at home (a specific
location).
It's in the corner! her mother yells.
The girl's older brother disinterestedly scoops up the mouse with the morning newspaper and quickly flings
the small rodent out an open window.
There, now it's in the yard, he says, and goes back to reading his comic book.

Discussion 3: Combinations Of in And at

> in and at often appear as complimenting/supporting expressions of location

Example 1: My brother is at Mitsuwa in the book store.
Here we see at (specific location) followed by in (specific area). It is the speaker's opinion that Mitsuwa store is
a specific location as any other, such as Tokkyu Hands and Tokyo Station, and that the various businesses
inside, including the book store, are not independently owned but are store departments (specific areas) inside
the store.

Example 2: My brother is IN Mitsuwa at the book store.

The preposition IN takes on an additional expression of location here (enclosure > general area), followed by
at (specific location), and is the reverse of example 1. It is the speaker's opinion that Mitsuwa store is an
enclosure (warehouse-like structure), which is for all intents and purposes a general area (such as Tokyo and
Yokohama cities). The various businesses inside Mitsuwa, including the book store, are independently owned
and therefore, are specific locations (at) within an enclosure (in) -> general area.
21

Example 3: My brother is IN Mitsuwa in the book store.

The preposition IN (enclosure > general area) is followed by the preposition in (specific area).

It is the

speaker's opinion that Mitsuwa store is an enclosure (warehouse-like structure), and the book store is a specific
area within that enclosure > general area.

(X) Example 4: My brother is at Mitsuwa at the book store.

This combination is not usually used in American English, because specific locations (at) are not thought of as
one inside the other, and any distinction made between areas inside a specific location are expressed as
specific areas using the preposition in.

Chapter 12 Review
Concluding this chapter, let us consider the following overview to aid in the memorization of the basic pattern
IN (general area), at (specific location), in (specific area), including the preposition on (a plane).
My brother is INTokyo, at a department store, on the fifth floor, in the book store.

(in)Specific Area Book Store

-----------------------------------------

> Important Notes To Remember

1. The concepts of specific location and enclosure are interchangeable in the case of shopping malls and any
other similar type of locatio
22

2. A general location (in) can be expressed as a specific location (at) when distance, instead of location, is the
subject.
Example: The marathon began in the countryside in a small town, and the runners are at Yokohama City. (they
have reached the edge of the city)

3. Although the preposition at expresses a specific location or point on a plane ( Discussion 3, figure 1B), at is
additionally used in a figurative sense to say that someone/something is inside a specific location.
Example: Mary is at the supermarket buying groceries. (she is inside the store shopping)

23

Chapter Thirteen make, have, tell

In the circle the words make, have and tell individually express essentially the same idea. Outside the circle
their very different common definitions are contrasted.

Make, Have, Tell

Make

Have

To cause

1. (Imperative) I made my daughter

> The magician's son

made the blue cup
turn red.
> Using only his mind,

clean her room.

2. (Polite imperative) I had my
daughter clean her room.
3. (Imperative) I told my daughter to

super hero made

clean her room.

To request/elicit
> I had my car oil
changed yesterday.
> I had the package
delivered to my the
parent's address.

the the alien ship

(Note: #3. The required action has not necessarily

crash into the sun.

been carried out.)

Tell
l
v
To accurately assess a condition or situation
> To hear: When something is evident by the sound of it, such as sickness (a cough, e tc.), or anger,
happiness, sadness, etc. (tone of voice).
Example: I can tell you have a sore throat.
24

> To see: When something is evident by sight, such as anger, happiness, and sadness, etc.(facial
expression).
Example: I can tell you're tired.

> To smell: When something is evident to the sense of smell (odor, aroma, etc.).
Example: I can tell you've burnt the roast.

> To feel: When something is evident to the sense of touch, such as an injury, the heat of a fever, a
child's cold feet, etc.
Example: I can tell how painful the bump on your head must be.

> To predict: When the particulars of a situation or condition are evident based on reliable/semi
reliable information or data.
Example: I can tell this is going to be a good year for the sales department.

25

Chapter Fourteen beginning/early, middle/mid, end/late

(in the beginning)

At the beginning of June

In early June

In the middle of June

In mid June

At the end of June

In late July

(in the end)

The T shape enclosure is for purposes of helping the student to remember the cases in which the preposition
in is used.
> The time nouns + preposition in (in the beginning/in the end), at top and bottom of the diagram,
are sometimes interchangeable with the standard phrases listed, but as a matter of nuance normally carry a
different meaning or sense of time in how they are used. Note the subtle differences.
The use of the proposition in, in example (1) places emphasis on condition or situation. In contrast, the
preposition at in example (2) simply denotes time.

1. Their relationship was pretty rocky in the beginning, but in the end the doomed couple couldn't have loved
each other more as they went down with the Titanic.

2. The couple are going to the U.S. at the beginning of the year, and to France, at the end of the year.
> Although the time clauses in the left column have the same meaning as their corresponding time clauses on
the right, only the column on the right can be used to approximate a person's age, as follows:
A. The young man is in his early twenties.
26

B. The elderly man is in his mid seventies.

C. The company president is in his late forties
D. The popular actress is in her early to mid fifties.
E. The well dressed gentleman is in his late fifties to early sixties.

27

Chapter Fifteen

ago; in; after that/later/following; before that/preceding

At first glance, the time words here might seem fairly easy to use, and they certainly are if you happen to grow
up speaking English as your primary language. For those studying English as a second language,
understanding what they mean often does not translate into correctly making use of them in conversational
English. Read the example sentences, paying close attention to the direction in which the arrows are pointing
in the accompanying diagrams.

In example (1), ago is used to denote a point of time in the past. In example 2, the preposition in is used to
denote a point of time in the future.

1. I went to France a week ago.

2. I'm going to France in a week (from now. optional).

28

Examples 3 and 4 express essentially the same idea.

[(in)the] following (week),

3. I went to France two weeks ago, and

(a/the week) after that,

I went to Italy.

a week later

1
[(in)the] preceding (week),
4. I went to Italy a week ago and (a/the week) before that,

I went to France.

Examples 5 and 6 express essentially the same idea.

[ (in)the] following (week),

I'm going to France in a week, and (a/the) week after that,
a week later,

29

I'm going to Italy.

[(in)the] preceding (week),

6. I'm going to Italy in two weeks, and

(a/the week) before that,

30

I'm going to France.

Chapter Sixteen

that vs it

There are no doubt innumerable grammar textbooks that cover this topic, and yet, many of my students over
the years have asked me to explain the differences between it and that. Largely putting grammar aside, let's
take the easiest approach to this using example sentences.

> Starting with the differences that are easiest to understand and remember, that (A) connects two
sentences together, and that (B) can replace the word so (=extremely/considerable) in colloquial English,
despite being so called grammatically incorrect.
A. We saw a lioness nursing a baby deer that everyone on the African safari couldn't take their eyes off.
B. I'm not that/so tired.

> that refers to and places special emphasis on an event, in the past and future tenses. Substituting it
for that slightly diminishes the emphasis.

That was only her third time snow boarding, but she took to (= quickly became accustomed to or skillful at) the
slopes like a pro.

> that denotes an event or idea that occurred awhile back (A), as opposed to it, which refers to
something that occurred not long ago (B), although not strictly followed as a rule.
A. That was ten months ago.
B. It was (just optional ) last month.

> that refers to an object or item at a distance from the speaker, while it refers to a nearby object or
item.

I don't care for it, the woman said of the party dress draped over her husband's arm, adding, but I sure
love that (one > optional).
31

> The four pointing words (these, that, this and those) are regularly used as stand-alone pronouns in
conversation and in casual writing, which makes that in some cases interchangeable with it. (A) and (B) are
what you will hear in the real world, so to speak, but never see in grammar textbooks. (C) follows the
established rules of grammar, but is almost never said.
A. My father is financially supporting me. I couldn't get by without it.
B. My father is financially supporting me. I couldn't get by without that.
C. My father is financially supporting me. I couldn't get by without that money.

> it and that may be equally common in certain cases.

It was our first time there.

<

>

That was our first time there.

It was all the money he had.

<

>

That was all the money he had.

> it and that may be used alternately at the beginning of a tag question that ends with it, regarded as
grammatically correct in case (A), but grammatically incorrect in case (B), both being acceptable in
conversational English. (C) is rarely used.
A. It's a marvelous painting, isn't it?
B. That's a marvelous painting, isn't it?
C. That's a marvelous painting, isn't that?

> that, as an idiom, can be used to place emphasis on a noun (people, places, things) to express
approval, disapproval, respect, love, delight, surprise, annoyance, anger, disgust and many other sentiments.
A useful example of this is the name of an old American television show That Girl, referring to it's fashionable,
spunky star Marlo Thomas.
At one point, actor Pierce Bronson, in expressing his disapproval of President Bush and the Iraq war simply
said the following.
That man!

32

> that, used as an emphatic declaration (that! ), expresses disappointment, disbelief, dislike, ridicule,
or all of the foregoing at one time, the object of which is usually an inanimate object.

I think you would really look terrific in this dress, Carl said to his wife.
That! I wouldn't be caught dead wearing such a thing. his wife replied.

> that! is sometimes directed at a particular person, and is both derogatory and cynical.
Is the new boy in the class cute or what! Mary excitedly said to Lora.
That! Girl, you better get some glasses, Lora sarcastically sneered.

33

Chapter Seventeen

so vs that

> that is often substituted for so when confirming that one essentially agrees with an opinion or
statement while disagreeing about the degree to which the opinion is true or correct. that is heavily accented
to convey the desired nuance.

A Few Examples:
It's so tasty!

It's not that tasty.

It's so bad! (a bruise, cut, etc)

It's not that bad.

He was so strong!

He wasn't that strong.

In Conversation:
The movie was so bad, with all that terrible violence in it, Jack said.
It wasn't that bad. At least Brad Pitts acting was pretty good Mary replied.

> so is used to modify or intensify adverbs and adjectives when an opposing viewpoint is not
expressed.
1. The flowers on the table are so lovely.
2. I'm so tired, I can't think clearly.
3. China is so big and so densely populated.

> that is used when confirming one's previous statement. Consider the following exchange.

The chocolates at the wedding reception were to die for ( no one could conceivably resist them)! Martha
said to her friends.
Was it really so/that good? one of them replied doubtfully.
Yes, they were that delicious. Martha insisted.
34

> this and that expresses frustration over what someone has said at an earlier time, considered
unnecessary to repeat, because the speaker assumes the listener has some idea or knows exactly what he/she
is referring to.
He's always saying this and that about the office being a mess, but he never cleans up his own desk.

> this and that can also be used to express frustration with someone's actions or behavior.
He walks around the office doing this and that but never gets any work done.

> so (= so on), in the idiom so on and so on, is more or less the positive version of this and that, and is
used to indirectly refer to what someone has said when the speaker assumes the listener has some idea or
knows exactly what he/she is talking about.
The boss said it's important that the office always be very clean: no dirty coffee cups on desks, the floor
regularly swept, and so on and so on.

> so? as a slightly sarcastic reply can be used to request a clearer explanation of a statement, opinion,
accusation, etc.
Actor B is not happy with the scene we filmed this morning, the director explained to the movie executive.
So? The executive replied.
He want's to do the scene again, the director said.

> so! (=So what!), as a sarcastic reply can be used to express envy, jealousy, and sometimes a
competitive disposition (particularly among siblings).
Mom got me a new bike, Sarah said to older sister Emma.
So! Emma scowled.
35

> so! (=So what! / What of it!) as an intensely sarcastic reply can be used to challenge a statement,
opinion, accusation, etc., usually with the intension of inciting an altercation.
You're sitting in my seat, the school bully said to the varsity football captain on the first day of school.
So! the football player shot back.

36

Chapter Eighteen

is /are vs was /were

This is a needed comparison in that the common assumption incorrectly says understanding the differences
here is as simple as stating the obvious, that is, is/are express the singular and plural in the present tense, and
was/were, the singular and plural in the past tense. A more careful study reveals something else as important,
in terms of nuance and a bit more complex. Apart from the verb tense, try to guess in what way (A) and (B) are
different.

A. The show was incredible; I've got to see it again.

B. The show is incredible; I've got to see it again.

(A) connotes the speaker's experience, while (B), a generalization, states it is a fact that anyone who sees the
show finds it as incredibly entertaining as the speaker did. (A & B) are perfectly acceptable in this case, though
(B) may or may not actually be true. Young people often fail to make a distinction between opinion and fact.
Adults sometimes blur the two as well.

37

Chapter Nineteen

can, able to, capable of

Many distinctions can be drawn here. For the sake of staying true to the objective of this book - helping
students master conversational English - the following focuses on how our subject words are essentially used in
daily conversation irrespective of the strict rules of grammar.

> can, as a substitute for the word may, is colloquially used to ask for permission as well as to grant or
deny permission (A). can is also used to politely make a request (B). Note that can is often substituted for
able to and capable of. As such, can is universally the most useful among the three in daily conversation.

A. You can (= may) play with your friends after lunch.

B. can you (= please) stop by the store to pick up some milk? (would you can be substituted for can you in this
case, but is slightly more direct. *Would you is also used to express annoyance or disapproval in the form of a
strong request or demand)
* Would you stop doing that! You're driving me crazy.

> able to is used to express availability (A). able to can be used to express a level of competency and
skill in a literal sense (B). able to can be used to denote having the authority or qualifications to take action in
certain situations (C).
A. I (don't think I'm going to be able to play) soccer today, I've got too much homework. [I don't think I can
play is an acceptable substitute here. capable of (skill, talent, competency) is not interchangeable with be able
to play in this case, in that it does not express opportunity, resources, availability.)

B. Mr. Smith is (able to) lead the university back to being a respected international institute of learning. (can
and capable of are acceptable substitutes here in that both express skill and competency)

38

C. Only the company president is (able to) make a decision on whether to drop that product line. (can is an
acceptable substitute here. capable of making is not interchangeable with able to make in this case, in that it
does not connote right, authority, etc.)

> capable of expresses the potential of a person/thing having a tangible or evident influence on
another (A). capable of expresses the ability to accomplish a task or meet a challenge (B). One way in which
capable of is colloquially used (C), rarely covered in textbooks, makes an assumption about a person's
inclination or temperament.
Examples:

A. Abject socialism is (capable of) collapsing an entire functioning economy.

(can collapse may be substituted here for is capable of collapsing. able to is not interchangeable with capable
of in that it applies to characteristics such as ability, skill and competency not attributable to non-living things,
as in this case, the ideology and political system of socialism.)

B. In her late forties, the celebrated Olympic gold medalist was no longer (capable of) doing the poll jump.
(was no longer able to do and could no longer do can be substituted for capable of doing as both can be used
in the literal sense, and, express ability, skill, etc.)

C. He isn't capable of committing such a terrible crime. (has no such tendency to / lacks the will to ...)
[couldn't commit is a good substitute here, being that can is used both literally and figuratively. able to is
always used in a literal sense, and as such, substituting isn't able to commit for isn't capable of committing
changes the meaning of the statement to he isn't literally able to commit such a terrible crime (due to
physical limitations, locality, etc.)]

39

Chapter Twenty

come home/come back home, get home/be home, go home /

go back home

Lets begin with our topic by covering the obvious differences between go home and come home.
> come home, as used in the following sentences, focuses on Jack's return home, from his wife's
perspective. In a conversation between two people, emphasis is always placed on the perspective of the
person at the point of destination.

1) I'll be coming home from work around ten at night, Jack tells his wife, who is at home at the time.

2) What time are you coming home tonight? Jack's wife, who is at home at the time, asks him on the
phone.
> go home is used in the following case to focus on the perspective of the person (Jack)
commuting/traveling from one location to home when conversing with someone not at the point of destination
(home).
I'm going home at 7 tonight to have dinner with my wife for a change, Jack tells his colleague.

> get home and be home, can express the action of arriving at a destination, regardless of perspective.
1) I'll get/be home at 9 tonight, Jack tells his colleague at the office.
2) I'll get/be home at 9 tonight, Jack tells his wife on the phone who is at home at the time. (The common
alternatives to this are: I'll be getting/coming home around 9 tonight?)
3) What time will you get/be home tonight? Jack's wife asks him on the phone.

> be home carries the additional idea of being at a location for a duration of time.
I'll be (at - optional here) home all day.
40

> come back home expresses the action of a person temporarily returning home for a particular
purpose rather than to stay, always from the perspective of the person at the point of destination who is taking
part in the conversation. Although the objective is to return home/etc. temporarily, the person may actually
stay home due to unexpected circumstances. So, the focus is on one's intentions rather than the actual
outcome.
A. Mom, I forgot my pajamas, a little girl at the next door neighbor's house for a sleep-over tells her mother
on the phone.
I've got my hand in the cookie dough, honey, her mother says, you'll have to come back home and get
them yourself.

B. Mom, I forgot my pajamas, a little girl over at the next door neighbor's for a sleep-over tells her mother
on the phone.
I've got my hands in the cookie dough, honey, her mother says.
I'll come back home and get them myself, the little girl replies.

> come back home is also used when referring to someone that has left home a short time before and
will return soon - having completing a task/etc. - always from the perspective of the person who is at home,
even when referring to the person who will soon return in conversation with a different individual.

A. Hello, Mary says, answering the telephone.

This is Sam Spootal at your husband's office. I need to speak to him, please, Sam says.
I'm sorry, he just went out to the store. Can I take a message.
Yes. We're having an emergency meeting at at 2 O'Clock today.
I understand. I'll let him know as soon as he comes back home. Bye now.

Mary decides to call her husband Jack to tell him about the meeting, instead of waiting till he comes back
home.
41

B. Hey, sweetie Need something else from the store? Jack asks Mary on the phone.
No, Sam Spootle just called from the office. He said you need to be there for an emergency meeting at
2pm. Mary says.
Not on my day off! Jack says.
I know how you feel.
I'll call him when I come back home.

> go back home is an expression that means to return to one's home town or mother/home country.
I'm going back home to spend New years with my parents.

> go back home, in contrast to the simple definition of go home, expresses the act of temporarily
returning home for a particular purpose, provided that the conversation is between two or more people who
are not at the point of destination (home).

Darn! I don't have any cash and I forgot my credit cards in the office, the man says to his wife.
I don't have my purse either. You'll have to go back home and get it, his wife tells him.
Stay here with the kids. I won't be ten minutes (=I won't be but ten minutes) .

42

Chapter Twenty-One

will + basic verb (eat, help, etc.) vs present progressive/ -ing verb

(eating, helping, etc.)

We will forego a review of the generally understood grammatical differences here to focus on how nuance
plays a role in whether will + basic verb or present progressive -ing verb is to be used.

>The following two conversations illustrate how will + basic verb connotes a promise, agreement, etc.,
requiring the action to be completed. On the other hand, present progressive/-ing verb expresses relatively
the same meaning as unfixed plan and preparation.
In conversation (A) Steve tells Natsuko he will (action is required) help her the next day, essentially promising to
do so. In contrast, Steve tells Mark in conversation (B) he is helping (unfixed plan/preparation) Natsuko the
next day, referring to this as something he plans to do rather than something he is obligated to do. In general,
it is unnecessary to use the form will + basic verb when speaking to one person about a promise made to
another individual.

A. I can't seem to translate this paragraph from Japanese to English, Natsuko complains.
What's the problem? Steve asks.
The idioms are giving me a hard time.
I'll tell you what, I gotta go now, but I'll (I will) help (action is required) you with that, tomorrow. Can you be
here around this time?
Of course. You're a life saver!
See you tomorrow.
Bye.
Steve runs into a friend ten minutes later in the school hallway.
B. Hey Steve, what's going on? Mark says.
How ya doing, Mark? Haven't seen you in a month, Steve replies.
43

Oh, I've been around; mostly in the library.

Hitting the books, ha? I need to do the same.
Hey, what do you say we have lunch tomorrow.
Sounds good, but I'm helping (unfixed plan preparation) Natsuko translate something from English to
Japanese.
What about next monday?
Alright, I'll (I will) meet (action is required) you in the cafeteria at 12.
Great. See you then
Take is easy

> When a promise, agreement, or obligation is not at issue, it can be reasonably argued that
Americans have a preference for the present progressive over will + basic verb. Which of the following do you
find more natural sounding and easiest to say?

1. We'll (We will) go to Hawaii this weekend, and then we'll (we will) go to France for a three day stay.

2. We're (We are) going to Hawaii this weekend, and then we're (we are) going to France for a three day stay.

44

Chapter Twenty-Two

want, would like, hope, wish, if only

The degree to which it is possible to accomplish, acquire or do something is expressed in various ways.

> want simply expresses one's desire to do something, but in no way indicates the chances of actually
being able to do so.
I want to spend summer this year in San Diego.

> would like to expresses the desire to do something but indicates it may not be possible. If I have
the chance (to ), I'll, carries the same nuance.
I'd (I would) like to spend summer this year in San Diego.

> hope to expresses the desire to do something, and indicates that there may be less of a possibility of
doing so than if would like to were used.
I hope to spend summer this year in San Diego.

> wish I could expresses a strong desire to do something when it is unlikely the action/desire can be
accomplished/realized.
I wish I could spend summer this year in San Diego

> if only I could expresses the strong desire to do something, but indicates there is virtually no
possibility of doing so.
If only I could spend summer this year in San Diego.

45

Chapter Twenty-Three

rent, borrow, check out

Just about all students of English are as least somewhat familiar with the words rent and borrow. However,
few students know all the particulars when it comes to using them in everyday conversational English. Far less
familiar is the use of the idiom, check out, in certain cases to express the same meaning as borrow.

> rent is a verb used to explain the act of borrowing anything from a bicycle to an apartment to an
entire convention center, where payment is usually required upfront before taking temporary possession of the
item, etc.
I rented four beachcombers for me, my wife and our two little girls.

> borrow, by far the most common of the three, expresses the act of taking possession of an item such
as money or food (A) with the intention of returning that item or a substitute that has an equivalent value, such
as flour for sugar. Two exceptions to this is the borrowing of money from a bank and organized crime (B),
when interest is charged over the original amount (a loan).
(A) I borrowed a cup of sugar from my neighbor the other day; she didn't mind that I gave her a cup of flour in
place of it the next day.
(B) Would you believe it, I borrowed $400,000 from the bank, but the interest on the 30 year home loan was
only 2.4%

Of particular curiosity is the idiomatic meaning of borrow, used to indirectly ask for an item without any
intention of returning it. However commonplace it may be, I do not recommend students use borrow in this
way for obvious reasons. Note the misunderstanding that occurs in the following scenario.
Can I borrow one of your pens for a moment, Mary asks Gunther, eyeing her German colleague's 50 pens in
a brown coffee cup on his desk.
Sure, go ahead, Gunther tells her.
46

An hour passes, but Mary hasn't returned the pen. Gunther looks over at another of his colleagues and makes
a snide remark.
I better (I'd better) put my pens away before she steals them all.

> Some of the various meanings of check out include the following: concluding one's stay at a hotel;
confirming (a story told to the police, etc.); studying (a beautiful painting, etc.), and investigating (a crime,
etc.). One common meaning of to borrow seems to have completely slipped by educators in Japan. borrow
and check out are interchangeable when borrowing an item from non-profit organizations or city sponsored
entities such as libraries, community centers, etc., where a fee is not required to do so. The general public has
a preference for check out, whereas librarians prefer to use borrow.
Examples:
1) We need to find out how many people on an average day check out athletic equipment from the local
community center.

2) I checked out 30 children's books from the library for my daughter today.

47

Chapter Twenty-Four

by myself, on my own, myself

> By myself, simply put, means to be alone or not with anyone else, whether active or sitting still.
I went to the store by myself.

> on my own is used to connote reliance on one's own resources to complete an action(s) without the
benefit of help from others.
In the following conversation with her husband Jack, Mary uses on his own to say that 28 year old Jack Jr. is
going to be living by himself soon and taking care of his own financial needs.
Jack Jr. is moving out. Now that he's got a job, he feels he can make it on his own, Mary announces to her
husband Jack just as he's getting in the door from work.
Well its about time ... at 28 years old. I thought we'd be stuck with him to the grave, Jack says with a smirk
on his face.
Jack! He's in the other room, he might hear you.
What? It's not like I said Get out!
Jack!
Alright, alright.
Just try to be a little encouraging, will you.
I'll take him out for a hamburger before he hits the road. How's that? But make sure you lock the door
behind him.

> on my own may also carry the nuance of accomplishing a task without having been asked or required
to. In this next conversation, on my own is used by Sandra to tell her husband Mike that their 3 year old son
Gill cleaned up his room without being asked or made to (on his own initiative).
Mike, Gill finally did it! Sandra excitedly tells her husband on the phone.
Did what? Mike asks.
48

Cleaned up all his toys on his own.

Fantastic! I'll pick up something for him on the way home.
He's been wanting a toy train.
I'll look around.
Bye honey.

> by myself is sometime colloquially substituted for on my own.

Gill cleaned up all his toys by himself .

>myself and on my own connote doing something on one's own without the benefit of help from
another individual. However, myself primarily places emphasis not on the person who completes the task, but
on someone else who instead was expected or promised before hand to complete that task. Notice the
sarcasm used in this exchange.

Honey, can you take out the trash? Jan asks her husband Bill, who is still in his pajamas in the late morning.
Yeah sure, as soon as I get dressed, he tells her.

An hour goes by and Jan sees Bill pass through the living room on his way to the garage wearing a shirt and
jeans.
Honey, the trash, can you take it out? she frustratedly calls to him.
I will, just after I'm through in the garage, he says.
What's new? she says under her breath as she irritatedly takes out the trash.

Thirty-five minutes later, her husband emerges from the garage.

Where's the trash, he asks, noticing the full trash bag is not where it usually is.
It's alright I took out myself, she glowers at him.
49

Chapter Twenty-Five

while vs during

Foreign students learn the grammatical differences between our topic words in junior high school, and review
them in subsequent grades, and in the first two years of college.

Unfortunately, this does little to help

studentd use them correctly in conversational English.

> while is best described as a word that coordinates two simultaneous actions, whether one person is
doing both actions, or two or more people doing separate actions. Think of this as the pattern action +
action.
1. My uncle smoked(action) three cigars while he was telling(action) me about his younger years as a sailor.

2. Me and my brothers relaxed(action) on the couch and watched TV while our parents made(action) this
year's Christmas dinner.

> during is best described as a word that coordinates one or more actions with one or more events,
situations, conditions, etc. Think of this as the pattern action + event.The businessman texted (action) his wife
during the conference (event).
1. One of the professors fell asleep (action) and snored very loudly during the conference (event).

2. During the International Conference On Orthopedic Surgery (event) , three of the guest speakers had to
suddenly leave (action) to perform emergency surgery on a eighty five year old man who had been seriously
injured in a car accident.

> Using while and during to describe the same situation

The boy texted (action) his girlfriend at the dinner table while his father and mother were arguing (action/verb)
The boy texted (action) his girlfriend at the dinner table during an argument(event/noun) between his
mother and father.
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> while is often incorrectly substituted for the word but, but is nevertheless acceptable in
conversational English.
One of the professors fell asleep (action) and snored very loudly, but the conference continued on (action).
One of the professors fell asleep (action) and snored very loudly, while the conference continued on
(action).

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Chapter Twenty-Six

because vs in that

It is safe to say that all students of English, from beginning to advance, are familiar with the word because, one
of many coordinating conjunctions. Consequently, it shows up in conversation and writing even when the far
lesser known idiomatic alternative in that is preferable or required. That said, both because and in that are
often dropped in conversational English, replaced by a brief pause (A & B) before the thought or sentence is
completed; this is what likely accounts for the confusion.
(because)
A. John's not going to the concert pause he's too tired.
(in that)
B. The glass windows in that building are not big enough pause they don't let enough sunlight in.

> because is used when there is a cause and effect relationship between two clauses.
Examples:
1. The boy was not allowed to go on the school field trip, because his parents had forgotten to sign his
permission slip.

2. The government of that big country is going to collapse, because, among other things, it will not or cannot
bring unnecessary spending under control.

3. Because my girlfriend doesn't want to go to the party, I don't either.

> in that is used when a cause and effect relationship has not been established, and when qualifying a
statement about the condition of something, situation, attitude, etc. The idiom in as much as
substituted for in that
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may be

Examples:
1. The offer the company has put on the table isn't exactly what we had expected, in that/ in as much as there
is no mention of the fair stock swap we were hoping for.
(t in rapport is silent)

2. He isn't exactly cut out for the position of school dean, in that/in as much as he has little rapport with the
professors.

3. Carefully considering his fiance's opinions is an admirable trait, in that/in as much as it shows he will
probably be an attentive father.

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Chapter Twenty-Seven

recently vs lately

> recently is generally used when speaking about a completed action, situation or event that has
occurred at some point in the not too distant past.
Examples:
1. My dog died recently.
2. The company recently moved its warehouse to Gunma prefecture, significantly improving its financial
outlook.
3. It was just recently, that the university raised the cost of tuition.

> lately is generally used when speaking about an action, situation or event that began some time in
the not too distant past and continues to the present.
Examples:
1. My aging father said lately he's been feeling a bit under the weather.
2. It seems like there's been a lot of fender benders (minor car accidents) on the highway lately.
3. Lately, restaurants have been closing early to conserve electricity.

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Chapter Twenty-Eight

go home, go back home, go uptown, go downtown, come here,

go there, go over there

> The topic words here (in color) have something in common which sets them apart from all other
nouns and pronouns that express place or location: with few exceptions, the preposition ' to' as a rule is not
used in conjunction with any of the them when they function as adverbs of place.

1. I'm going home now.

2. Most people go back home for the holidays. (go back home = to return to one's home town)

3. Celebrities who live in New York, go uptown to shop for expensive gifts. (uptown = the fashion district)

4 If you go downtown, check out the spaghetti factory; the food's great there.

5 Everybody says they come here for the nightlife, but it's really the delicious sushi that attracts them.

6 He goes there twice a week for his knee rehabilitation.

7 Go over there and sit down, please, the businessman told his son. I'll be off in five minutes, and then
we'll go to McDonalds for dinner.

> Additional List Of Adverbs Of Place

everywhere, away, up, around, home, back home, nearby, abroad, back, backwards/backward, down,
downstairs, upstairs, east, west, north, south, elsewhere, far, near, nearby, in, indoors, inside, off, on, out,
outside, towards, under, up
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Chapter Twenty-Nine

even if < > even then / even when / even though < > even so

1. > even if comes at the beginning of a sentence and a comma is not placed after it.
> even if is used to say that a person's thinking or situation will remain unchanged regardless of what might
be stated or what circumstances may arise (in this case, the focus is on something that could possibility
happen).
> even if is used in the past, present and future tenses.
Even if you go to New York to work with Professor Crane, you won't have the kind of success you crave,
the PI unfairly said, angry that he was losing his best scientist.

2. > even then comes at the beginning of a sentence and a comma is always placed after it.
> even then is used to say a person's thinking or situation will remain unchanged regardless of what might
be stated or what circumstances may arise (in this case, the focus is on something that could possibility
happen).
> even then and even if express the same idea, but are grammatically different.
> even then is used in the past, present and future tenses.
I know that you might be going to New York to work with Professor Crane. Even then, you won't have
the kind of success you crave, the PI unfairly said, angry that he was losing his best scientist.

3. > even when comes at the beginning of a sentence and a comma is not placed after it.
> even when is used to say that a person's thinking or situation will remain unchanged no matter the time,
regardless of what might be stated or what circumstances may arise (in this case, the focus is on the time at
which something is going to happen).
> even when is used in the past, present and future tenses.
Even when you go to New York to work with Professor Crane, you won't have the kind of success you
crave, the PI unfairly said, angry that he was losing his best scientist.

4. > even though comes at the beginning of a sentence and a comma is not placed after it.
> even though is used to say that a person's thinking or situation will remain unchanged regardless of what
might be stated or what circumstances may arise (in this case, the focus is on something that is inevitably
going to happen]
> even though and even so express the same idea, but are grammatically different.
> even though is used in the past, present and future tenses.
Even though you are going to New York to work with Professor Crane, you won't have the kind of
success you crave, the PI unfairly said, angry that he was losing his best scientist.
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5. > even so comes at the beginning of a sentence and a comma is always placed after it.
> even so is used to say a person's thinking or situation will remain unchanged regardless of what might be
stated or what circumstances may arise (in this case, the focus is on something that is inevitably going to
happen]
> even so is used in the past, present and future tenses.
I know that you are going to New York to work with Professor Crane. Even so, you won't have the kind
of success you crave, the PI unfairly said, angry that he was losing his best scientist.

> Important note: With the exception of even if (1), in the past tense (2-5) can be used to express
essentially the same idea, as in the following case.

2) Alexander the Great had conquered most of the known Western world. Even then, he was still
unsatisfied with his accomplishments.
3) Even when Alexander the Great had conquered most of the known Western world, he was still unsatisfied
with his accomplishments.
4) Alexander the Great had conquered most of the known Western world. Even so, he was still unsatisfied
with his accomplishments.
5) Even though Alexander the Great had conquered most of the known Western world, he was still
unsatisfied with his accomplishments.

This concludes The Art of Speaking American English. You can visit me at
https://www.facebook.com/CostaVerdeRoom3136.

I wish you all the best in your endeavors to master conversational English.

Yours truly,
Stephen Allen Stratton
Stephen Allen Stratton
57