Your Words into English – Editing Service

The Challenge of Writing

First off, I want to thank you for stopping by! Since you’re here, you might be interested in editing services (or maybe, you haven’t gotten that far yet). There are so many reasons these days to know English. You may be a teacher, an author, an attorney … maybe, you own a business. But let’s face it; it is not the easiest language out there. Sure, it’s not so hard to be understood when you speak, but writing with correct grammar in a way that sounds natural to native English speakers can be a serious challenge. I’d like to ease that challenge for you.

Who am I?

Hi, Trystn Waller here. As a speaker of English as my first language, raised in California, USA, I’ve had experience in several language fields from:

• language tutoring
• transcription
• translation
• editing
• & proofreading.

I’ve also done proofreading for video scripts. Just for fun, I do some content writing, poetry, and fiction as well. The last several years of my professional life have been centered on language, especially how the English language is unique and fun. Although, I have realized just how difficult it can be for a second-language speaker to get right.

While working on numerous projects, I realized that my favorite ones involved assisting writers who were not born English speakers. Some of these writers could speak English well and even used it in their daily lives. Still, they wanted to make sure that their writing was grammatically correct, spelling was on point, and that the language used sounded as natural as possible. I was happy to help. Now, let’s talk about you.

Your turn

What is your story? What are you writing in English? It could be a memoir, a fictional tale, or a collection of poems. How creative of you! Maybe you write emails for work or have reports to type up. Are there documents or assignments you need to be edited? You might even text someone in English and need to make sure you’re saying the right things. No one likes to commit faux pas (excuse my French). Whatever you are writing, I want to help you make it great–or, at least read like natural writing. Of course, it depends on your goals.

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Services & Pricing

The primary services I provide are editing, proofing, and localization of text into this crazy language called English. My goal is to help writers express information and ideas for English-speaking audiences.

Pricing is usually based on a per-word basis. This is subject to change depending on the type of project. For example, with projects that have many small documents, it might be better to set a price per document. For very short documents, I will charge a minimum $13 fee. Payments can be done through PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, or Zelle.

We can work out a price and payment plan that suit your specific needs. Contact me to see if my services are right for you. Maybe we can set up a call!

I am also fluent in Portuguese (Brazil) and can offer translation and/or editing services from Portuguese into English. Find out more aqui.

Tell me about your editing needs

email: tietewaller@gmail.com

Whatsapp: +1(310)957-7463

Check out my Upwork page!

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Image credit: Sora Shimazaki

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The Many Meanings of Catch (Catch on, Catch up, a Catch, & more) | English Dialogue

Vasily Koloda

Heads up … catch! This seemingly (or should I say “deceptively”) simple word is stuffed and loaded with different meanings. Do the many uses of “catch” confuse you? Here I want to look at the traditional meanings, as well as some common slang and figurative uses of the word. There are also short and realistic dialogues to help. So, are you ready to catch some knowledge? Let’s do it.

• For more words and Adventures of Charles

The normal meaning of Catch

Normally, to Catch means to receive something that is thrown or has fallen. As people, we mostly catch things with our hands.

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 — “Look, Charles, I got you a new iPhone charger. Catch!”

While attempting to grab the charger, Charles accidentally dropped his phone onto the floor.

 — “Gee, thanks! Now I’m going to need a new iPhone too.”

 — “Well, you should have caught it before it hit the ground.”

Catch something (figuratively)

As you can imagine, “catch” also has several figurative and even slang meanings. As a verb, you can catch something not visible such as an illness or some attention.

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 — “Did you hear what happened to Kevin Hart? He said he caught the ‘Vid’,” Charles said to his friend, Jonah, sitting behind him. Jonah gave him a firm Shhh! 

 — “Be quiet, man! Whenever I talk in class, I catch an angry look from Ms. Delaware. You’ll get me in trouble.”

‘Catching’ someone

Another meaning is when you catch someone, or find them. Usually, this is while they are doing something they shouldn’t be.

 — “Hey, Sheila. Do you think we could take your little bro out for ice cream?”

 — “I don’t know. He got caught eating cookies out of the cookie jar last night. I think he’s had enough sweets.”

 — “Well, we could always take him to the Salad Bar,” Charles suggested.

 — “Oh, no. You won’t catch me anywhere near that place.”

Still, catch can be about meeting another person, in general. This is usually at a designated time or place.

 — “I hope we can hang out soon, Sheila. What do you think?”

 — “For sure! I’ll catch you after our game tomorrow.”

Other random meanings of Catch

To catch can be to understand what someone else said or what has happened. It’s usually said as a question to check for comprehension or as a way to show a lack of understanding.

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Jonah’s mind wandered as he daydreamed about the upcoming game that night. Suddenly, he realized Charles had been mumbling at him for the past five minutes.

 — “Sorry, what did you say? I didn’t catch that.”

 — “I was telling you about my plans to quit working for this lousy school. Did you catch it this time?!”

… Or, going to see something, such as an event. 

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 — “Do you want to catch a movie after you get off work?” Charles asked Sheila. She turned at him and grinned.

 — “Yeah … Or, we could go to the game like everyone else.”

Or, boarding a transportation vehicle. 

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Sheila gave Charles a big hug.

 — “I have to catch this bus. If you want to see a movie, it’s fine. Can we talk later?”

 — “Yeah, either way is fine. Let me know. Maybe we can catch a ride together.”

Phrasal verbs: Catch on, Catch up

And that’s just “Catch” by itself. Of course, there are also phrasal verbs like catch on — to begin to understand something — or catch up — to reach a desired point in understanding or place from behind.

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 — It used to be so much fun to speak in German around your friends. I think they’re starting to learn now.

 — Right, especially Mark didn’t use to understand our conversations, but now he’s catching on.

 — It’s about time! Why is Mark so far behind in his German, anyway? He needs to catch up!

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A Catch, as a noun

All verbs aside, there is also catch used as a noun. A catch is a hidden condition or problem when something seems too good to be true.

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Charles looked at his neighbor in disbelief. 

“You’ll give me this car for four hundred bucks and all repairs are up to date? What’s the catch?”

 — “No catch! It’s a good car, man. What, you don’t believe me?”

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A catch can also be a person who seems like a perfect match, or a great person to be in a relationship with. They are like the ideal partner.

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 — I don’t know why you’re so in-love with Sheila. Look at Jenny. She’s the boss of her own business, helps her community, and owns a Benz. She’s a catch, for sure.

 — “Uh-huh, Jonah. Total catch.”

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**These are just some of the main uses of “catch”. Can you think of any others meanings? Can you think of your own examples for these words? Share it with us and spread the English love! Thanks for reading and learning. Take care out there.

Read More:

• The many ways to use “catch”

Contact or collaborate at tietewaller@gmail.com

“Grammy” by Purity Ring (Soulja Boy Cover) | Lyrics for English Students

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I deserve a Grammy! Come on, I know none of you would vote for me. Still, it takes guts to affirm that — positive affirmations — and that’s exactly what this music duo was doing. This cover for “Grammy” by Purity Ring was released as a single in 2013. It takes inspiration from Soulja Boy’s song of the same name on his 2010 album, The DeAndre Way. Below are the lyrics for you to enjoy, as well as the music video. I’ll also add the original song for you all to compare the two. Go ahead!

For better practice, try: First, listen to the song while reading the lyrics. This will help you get familiar with the sounds and rhythm along with the words used. Second, read through the lyrics without the music. Take your time and make sure you understand the words and meanings. Third, listen to the song without reading lyrics. Notice if your understanding of the song / words has improved!

Feel free to ask in the comments if there is something else you didn’t understand or want to know more about. Want more songs like this? Let me know! Now enjoy, and happy listening.

*I want to reiterate that I am not trying to correct anyone’s informal speech or grammar. As native speakers, these concepts come easier to us, but English learners may need help in understanding what the correct way to speak is so they know when and where to break those rules! Thanks for bearing with me.

Videos

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[Parental Advisory]

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“Grammy” (Cover) Lyrics – Purity Ring

What do you want from me?

‘Cause I’ve given you everything

• Informal Speech: *”Because I’ve given …”

What do you need from me?

Are you not happy with anything?

[Verse]

Party like a rock star, hit ’em with the hot bars

• Music Reference: “Party Like a Rock Star” was a popular song by hip hop group, the Shop Boyz, from 2007, and this is probably a reference to that.
• Informal Speech: “*Hit them with the hot bars …”
• Slang: “Hit” here has a figurative meaning. It’s about the same as offer or give but in an impactful way. “Hot” here means something very good, of excellent quality, and impressive. “Bars” is a slang specific to hip hop and rap music, and describes the lines in the lyrics (like lines in a paragraph or story). So, hot bars are impressive lyrics, basically.

Fast like a NASCAR, lime like my dad’s car

• Informal Speech: It’s more correct to say, “Fast like NASCAR,” but she conjugated it as if she were only talking about a car, not the whole sports organization. “Fast like a car.” “Lime” describes the color of the car, green.

I deserve a Grammy; will I fly away

Or land on Miami? I don’t have time to rhyme

• Informal Speech / Grammar: Normally for cities, countries, states, etc., we would say “Land in Miami.” (As in, land down in a plane). The conjugation is interesting though, as if she wants to land on top of Miami, making a huge impact.

But I do have time to grind

• Slang: “Grind” here means to hustle, put in work to make money.

S.O.D. pirates, I don’t need a hook

• Cultural References: S.O.D. is something associated with Soulja Boy, the original artist of this song. “Pirates” here probably was used to refer to the treasure-hungry and ruthless reputation of pirates, though it also refers to the famous Captain Hook, a pirate from Peter Pan.
• Musical Terms / Figurative Speech: A “hook” in music refers to a specific part of the lyrics, similar to bridge and chorus.

My lyrics illustrated verses taken from a book

• Grammar: *”My lyrics are illustrated, my verses are taken from a book …” Literally, if he’s talking about Peter Pan.

I understand the fans, supply and demand

You Might Like:

• Crush Tessa Violet; Tennis Court Lorde; Habits (Stay High) Tove Lo; Butterfly Effect Travis Scott; Day ‘N’ Nite Kid Cudi; Colorado Kota the Friend; 20 Dollar M.I.A.; It Was a Good Day Ice Cube; Cameo Lover Kimbra; Child Lights; i like the devil Purity Ring; After the Storm Kali Uchis; The Way I Are Timbaland

Crunk at command, fight and we’ll stand

• Slang / Cultural Reference: “Crunk” refers to a popular hip hop dance style that was especially big in the late ’90s to early 2000s. It is known for being very aggressive, and some people refer to “getting crunk” when they mean to get aggressive or hostile.
• Expressions: Being “at command” is being ready to do something at any moment.

Lyrics from a true legend, livin’ life through God’s blessing

Big papers, long acres, top flight, no security

• Casual Speech / Expressions: “Papers” here refers to money, most likely. It could also be contracts or music deals. “Long acres” refer to big properties with lots of land.
• Other Meanings: “No security” refers to how people who travel on private jets don’t have to pass through airport security.

Black ice on me, call the jury

• Slang / Figurative Speech: “Ice” in this case means jewelry. I don’t know of any jewelry that is black, so Soulja Boy might just have been referring to the fact that he is black. “Black ice” in the literal sense is a very thin layer of ice on the road that can’t really be seen but is dangerous for causing skidding and accidents. Maybe the jewelry is so pretty, it’s “dangerous”.
• Pronunciation: The “jury” is the audience who watches and decides on a verdict during a criminal trial. It also sounds like the way some American accents might pronounce “jewelry – jury.”

Yeah trick yeah, and we call it magic

• Slang: “Trick” here is a derogatory term against women. Interesting, since Megan from Purity Ring is singing it.
• Figurative Speech: Also, a trick in normal terms is what a magician would do to deceive the audience, like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Hence, “call it magic.”

My style may change if you call it drastic

Money so long and we is the measure

• Slang: “Money is long” means that the money goes a long way. There is a lot of money.
• Grammar: *”And we are the measure(ment)”

I love my business and I love my pleasure

Live now, die later, internet genius

Self proclaimed, he a critically acclaimed

• Grammar: *”He is critically acclaimed …”

For the fortune and fame, he’ll run through the rain

• Expressions: “The rain” here means hard times and difficulties.

For a million in change, takin’ over the game

• Vocabulary: “Change” is what we call coins or money left over after a purchase. If she has a million left over after buying, imagine how much she spent.
• Slang: “The game” in this sense refers to a kind of situation or industry. Specifically here, it can be the music game.

18-year-old with a drop top Phantom

• Cars: This is the Rolls-Royce Phantom. “Drop top” means the top of the car comes down or opens, like a convertible.

Kidnap the world ’til they pay my ransom

DeAndre Way, look what’s tatted on my face

• Music Reference: The DeAndre Way was a Soulja Boy album from 2010. In the original lyrics, he’s probably referring to the image of his face on the album’s cover.
• Slang: “Tatted” is a slang word for tattooed, like “tat” is for tattoo. “How do you like my new tats?”

Four words to say: I deserve a Grammy

[Chorus]

What do you want from me?

‘Cause I’ve given you everything

What do you need from me?

Are you not happy with anything?

Is it not good enough?

Am I not good enough?

Have I not gave enough?

• Grammar: *”Have I not given enough?”

Tell me what do you want from me?

What do you want from me?

‘Cause I’ve given you everything

Then it repeats.

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Thank you again for reading and practicing your English (or simply enjoying good music). Check Lyrics “Explained” to find similar songs and practice more. Make sure to post a comment or send us a message, if that sounds better to you 😉 Give Me a Shout! Otherwise, take care, y’all. Peace!

Topic: Why Shoulda, Coulda, Should of, Would of? | English Speaking Habits

Pronouncing Modal Verbs in the Past

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Modal verbs? What? As English speakers, we have lots of funny speech habits. To the average person, they may not seem like a big deal. But what about those that have decided to take on learning this complex language?

“Take on me-e … take me o-on!”

You can almost hear English singing in the shower. You might have heard such words as “shoulda” or “coulda” before. Well, that’s what we’re going to talk about here.

What are Modal Verbs, after all?

A modal verb is a type of auxiliary (or helping) verb. This just means their purpose is to help other verbs to make sense. Modal verbs themselves are used to show a necessity or possibility. These are words like could, should, may, might, would, and so on.

In the past tense, modal verbs are often followed by the word “have.” This lets us know they are modals instead of a regular past tense verb. How do we know that “could” is acting like the past tense of “can,” or if it is expressing a possibility? We know it’s a possibility when it’s next to “have.” Look at this:

• When I was younger, I could run a mile without stopping. (past tense of “can”)

• I could have been a track star. (past tense of the modal verb “could,” shows a possibility)

Remember, modals don’t always need “have.” Adding it is used to show that this necessity or possibility was in the past. The same goes with should have, may have, might have, would have, and more.

You Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda … Used Correct Grammar

The habit I told you about earlier is that many people turn “have” into a simple shwa sound (“uh”) when talking. They basically get rid of the “h” and “v” sounds. This makes could have sound like coulda.

• I coulda been a track star. (could have)

This is so common that we have an expression to mimic this; shoulda, coulda, woulda. Or coulda, shoulda, woulda. Woulda, coulda, shoulda? I guess it doesn’t really matter what order you say it in. Some people say this to express when it’s too late to do something and the opportunity has passed. Similar expressions are “that’s too bad,” “too late,” or “keep dreaming.” 

Read More:

• Pronouncing modals like shoulda, coulda, woulda

 — You know, I could have been a track star.

 — Yeah! Shoulda, coulda, woulda.

Should of, Could of, Would of

To take it a step further, “have” can completely change and turn into “of.” This isn’t grammatically correct, but it happens because some people might pronounce the “could-a” like “could-uv.” This happens when we mean to contract “could have” and say “could’ve.” The pronunciation of the “of” sounds very similar to that final “ve” sound, so it’s easy to confuse the two in everyday speech. Many people who even know the correct grammar might make a mistake when writing or speaking and say “of” instead of the short “‘ve” because of how easy it is to switch the two. 

More info:

• ‘Should have’ and ‘should of’ on Quora

*Try saying could of and could’ve out loud. Do you notice how similar they sound? 

Here are some more examples!

See, you shoulda / should of been more careful. 

I coulda / could of been a millionaire. 

She musta / must of been crazy to adopt a lion.

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Thank you for reading! Check the Blog to see similar posts.

**Have a question about another English speaking habit? Is there something you don’t understand about the way people talk? Tell me about it and I’ll write a post for you, and offer other resources to better understand!

Contact me to collaborate or send a personal message at tietewaller@gmail.com or go to the Give Me Shout! page.

Contracting Words with ‘Of’ – English Speech Habits

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In English, like in any language, we speakers have some funny habits when it comes to using the language. Hey, at least it adds some character, am I right? Today I want to dwell a bit on this thing we do when we contract a quantifier word with the word “of”. This is similar to what happens when we combine “want to (wanna).” But first thing’s first; what in the Anglo-ing world is a quantifier?? Well, quantifiers are words that indicate a quantity (no, really!) or in other words, an amount of something. 

Contracting Quantifiers with ‘Of’

Some examples of this are: a little, a lot, many, some, a few

Read more about the types of quantifiers:

• Wall Street English

When describing an amount (or quantity) of something, some of these words are followed by “of.” 

• a lot of cake; some of the cake; a bit of cake

Keep in mind, this is not all the time. Many quantifiers and some of their uses don’t have an “of” after them. 

• some cake; a few cakes; many cakes

*“Some cake” and “some of the cake” can mean the same thing. Although, usually “some of the cake” sounds more specific (a piece of a specific cake) while “some cake” sounds more general (a piece of any cake)

When there is an “of” behind those quantifiers that need it, some speakers have a habit of combining the quantifier word with “of.” In this way, it forms a contraction. 

• There’s a lotta cake left in the fridge. (a lot of)
• Do you want to take home somma this cake? (some of)

This is more common in speech and when people are talking quickly. This habit is not a rule though, and these words are almost never spelled in the contracted way except in very informal text. It is also not universal and not everyone has this habit. Still, it is fairly common and a good thing to be aware of, say, when you talk with native speakers or watch TV. 

This plays into the larger trend of changing short words with the “shwa” sound (uh, like ‘of’, ‘to’, ‘the’) and just contracting them with a bigger word.

The most popular one of these you’ll notice in day-to-day speech will most likely be kinda. As a quantifier, it has about the same meaning as “somewhat” or “a little bit.”

Read more:

• English Speaker Habits
• Quick Tips

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Examples

Here are some other common instances of contracting quantifiers with “of.”

a bunch of

• They’re a buncha sore losers. (They’re a bunch of sore losers.)

some of

• Do you want somma my fries? (Do you want some of my fries?)

kind of (used as a quantity)

• I kinda like him. (I kind of like him.)

a couple of

• They’re just a coupla / couple’a guys hanging out. (They’re just a couple of guys hanging out.)

enough of

• Okay, I’ve had enough’a this. (Okay, I’ve had enough of this.)

all of

• Oh no! All’a / all’o the food is gone. (Oh no! All of the food is gone.)

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We thank you for reading and learning new things! Feel free to explore more posts here on Cult-surf. Similar posts can be found on the Blog. Enjoy yourselves, and take care out there!

For contact or collaboration: tietewaller@gmail.com; Give Me a Shout

Nigerian English – learning about the accent

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Hi, I’m Susan Rex from Nigeria and always being a Nigerian (Smiling). I’m thankful to Trystn Waller for giving me this alternative to a guest post about my country Nigeria and its accent (just in brief). I’m a Relationship Coach, helping to build healthy relationships. I hope you like this post and also share your thoughts with me as well.

Contact: (relationtipps@gmail.com)

My website: Link

Main Article

Nigerian spoken English is an amalgamation of British English and American English. The outcome is an imaginative clash of broken English and words that have cheerfully grown eternally distant from their original definitions.

Path to Getting the Nigerian Accent

Cutting out inner syllables

• Medicine pronounces as “med-sin“

• Happy Birthday pronounces as “api betday“

• Concern pronounces as “consign“

• Get out as “gerrat“

• Start as “stat“

• With as “wit“

• Bathroom as “baffroom” etc.
  

Swap your “er” for “a”

• Paper pronounces as “pay-pah“

• Father pronounces as “fathah“

• Mother as “mothah“

• Helicopter as “elucuptah” etc.

Nigerians also pronounce each of these groups of words in the same manner.

• Work and walk (pronounced as same)

• Bus and boss (pronounce as same)

• Saint and sent (pronounce the same)

• Curb and cub 

• Hair and air

• Ear, hear, and here (pronounce the same way).

Having the basic conversation

  🇬🇧 (Standard)

Hi

How are you?

No problem.

I’m walking please.

Please, where is the bathroom?

I don’t know.

I don’t understand.

 🇳🇬 (Non-Standard)

How far.

How you dey?

No wahala.

I dey waka abeg.

Abeg where the baffroom dey?

I no no.

I no sabi.

(Add “No” if you need to say that you don’t understand something or don’t have something. Also, Nigerians refer to older people as Auntie or Uncle, pronounced as “hanty or “uncul”, to show manners and respect.)

Let me remind you that if you are not a Nigerian, it will be hard to blend in with the accent. That’s one of the unique things about being a Nigerian; no one can take that away from us, not even those that colonized us. 

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**I hope you enjoyed this article from Susan Rex and got some better insight into the unique accent of Nigeria! Please feel free to contact her with more questions, and read her website to get advice about healthy relationships. I appreciate you doing this guest post for us, Susan, and I look forward to seeing what others have to add about the Nigerian accent. Stay safe out there, people! Peace.

Read more: the Blog

Listen & Read: a Nigerian song in Lyrics “Explained”

Using ‘They’ for One Person – English Speaker Habits

Pexels.com

What is ‘They’?

“They” is a common word, right? It is taught that “he” is for a male and “she” is for a female. If it’s me and you, then it is “we.” And if it’s multiple others, then it’s “they.” But English speakers have this funny habit of “they” that can be tricky for second-language students. “They” is often used to talk about one person. But normally, it is used to refer to a group of people whether all male, all female, and any other possible mixture of genders. Technically, it’s also used to refer to a group of nouns in general, but we’re focusing on people here.

“Correct” usage:

• There are a lot of people at the door, and they don’t look happy.

• The tree was full of apples, but they all fell down

by sydney Rae

The Singular ‘They’

Informally though, “they” can be used to refer to just one person. That’s what we call “they” as a singular pronoun. This may be for a couple of reasons.

Usually, it’s when we don’t know the person’s gender.

This can happen a lot in English because many professions and occupancies don’t denote a specific gender (e.g. teacher, classmate, student, doctor). In other words, we don’t know just from hearing the word if that person is a male or female.

This also may happen if the person’s gender is irrelevant to the conversation or if we want to hide the person’s gender on purpose. Another case is for gender-fluid people or people that consider themselves as a “they.”

At this point, it’s more a choice of respect for that individual, but this is probably the least common instance of using “they” for a single person.

by Sharon McCutcheon

He or She – She or He

Normally, the grammatically correct way to refer to someone whose gender is yet to be revealed is by saying “he or she/she or he.”

Habit:

-“I met with my new doctor yesterday.”

-“Really? Were they nice to you?”

More correct:

-“I met with my new doctor yesterday.”

-“Really? Was he or she nice to you?”

Other Forms

The same goes for the object position where it changes to “them.”

Habit:

• “What about your cousin? Are you going to the festival with them?”

More correct:

• “What about your cousin? Are you going to the festival with her or him?”

I’m sure this might sound really weird if you’re learning, but that’s what lots of English speakers do. It doesn’t quite look correct on paper, but this is a very common habit.

We also do the same for possessive cases, using “their.”

Habit:

• “One of my classmates left their bag in the lunch yard.”

More correct:

• “One of my classmates left his or her bag in the lunch yard.”

Using the Right Pronoun

Again, this is normally used when we don’t know the gender of the person or if we intentionally want to hide it. When we do know the person’s gender, then we use whatever the correct pronoun is.

Incorrect (assuming John is a male):

• “What about your cousin, John? Are they taking you to the festival?”

Correct:

• “What about your cousin, John? Is he taking you to the festival?”

Even though saying “his or her/her or his” is more grammatically correct, it sounds unusual or very formal to many English speakers, especially in a casual setting. It might be preferred in more formal settings though, like on the news, in business meetings, or in formal papers and articles. Otherwise, it’s completely normal to do this, even if grammar teachers won’t like it.

I wrote the examples as Habit and More Correct because saying “they/them” in this way is so common in English that it’s almost an accepted rule despite being technically incorrect. If you’re talking casually, I would urge you to use this form instead of “he or she/she or he” because it sounds very formal. It may be the better option for formal settings though, so keep that in mind. Don’t worry too much about it though. If you’re learning English, no one should hold it against you if you use one or the other.

Other Examples

• “We hired a new employee at the company, but I still haven’t met them.” (gender is unknown)
• “Your friend bought you flowers? They sound like such a sweet person!” (gender is unknown or is irrelevant)
• “My son got a new principal at his school, but I still don’t know their name. They don’t start until Thursday though.” (gender is unknown)
• — “My cousin started their new job yesterday.” — “Really? Is your cousin a he or a she?” — “Does it matter?” (gender is intentionally hidden)
• “Dannika is my gender-fluid friend, remember? They’re a big fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.” (the person in reference is gender-fluid, identifies as “they”)

**Thank you for reading and wanting to learn these fun English habits! If you want to read more on this subject, check out this article on APA Style. Read about other English-speaker habits on the Blog. As always, take care and keep up your studies! They will certainly pay off. Peace.

Asking Questions with or without ‘Do’ & ‘To be’? – English Habits

There is a habit that many people have and, maybe, don’t know it. In casual speech, many English speakers tend not to form questions properly. This can happen on purpose so that the speaker can make themselves not sound too formal. Sometimes though, it can be an accident. Well, I’m not here to say whether it is right or wrong but just to show you English learners what’s happening when you hear this. To refresh your memory on the right way to ask questions, you can read this page. Read about other English speaker habits on the Blog. Following are two habits with asking questions that English speakers have:

Questions without “Do”

One of the most noticeable question-related habits is with the verb, to “do.” This little word is confusing for many non-English speakers, but it helps us understand that what we are saying is a question. In other words, it’s an “auxiliary.” With that said, “do” gets left out of a lot of questions in regular conversation.

• “What you want from me?”

Correct is: What do you want from me?

You can see that “do” just gets dropped out. This also happens in questions that don’t have question words (AKA What, Where, Who, etc.)

• “You have a dollar I can borrow?”

Correct is: Do you have a dollar I can borrow?

If you speak a language like Spanish, then you do this regularly anyway. “Do” just lets us know that we’re forming a question without having to change our tone of voice to sound more “questiony.”

Questions without “To be”

Another habit people have when forming questions is leaving out the verb “to be” where it should be.

• “What you doing this weekend?”

Correct is: What are you doing this weekend?

Just like with “do” before, the version of “to be” (are) gets completely dropped. This habit is more common in longer questions. It would usually sound weird in a short question with only a few words.

• “Who you?” This sounds weird. It’s better to say, Who are you?

Doing this with questions that describe an action is more common in general casual English. Doing it in questions where the main verb is “to be” sounds somewhat uneducated and very improper. In “What are you doing?”, doing is the main verb because that’s the main action. In the question “Who are you?”, are is the main verb because, well, it’s the only verb.

• “What your name?” This sounds very improper. It’s better to say, What‘s your name?

Remember, people do this without really thinking about it. It’s more for you to understand what’s happening as opposed to trying to memorize this feature. This habit also can happen in questions without question words, of course.

• “That going to be a problem?”

Correct is: Is that going to be a problem?

A Note …

These are pretty common habits for many English speakers, though not all. It can depend on region or accent, and some habits are more common with certain accents than others. Because these habits are widely practiced, many people don’t even notice them in casual speech. But beware; sometimes dropping the “do” or “to be” can sound very improper, incorrect, and make the speaker sound sloppy or uneducated. Listen to other English speakers and pay attention to how people react to the things they say. This is a good way to tell if that habit is acceptable or not in X situation.

More Examples

Without “do”:

“What __ you think about the new mayor?”

“__ They know they’re being watched?”

“__ He just say that?”

Without “to be”:

“__ You some kind of genius or something?”

“What __ we doing here, anyway?”

“__ That a threat?”

**Hey again! Thanks for reading and learning more, my wonderful reader. Continue to be encouraged in your learning journey. You can do it! And share with us anything that’s on your mind to share about this topic, if you can. Talk soon…

Featured image credit: by Emily Morter on Unsplash