Modern American English is maddening. It’s hard to learn because there are many very strange things in today’s American English. We have made a list of some of the things that drive people crazy about the way people speak in the United States today.

This page is offered as an aid to learning American English. It will help you to understand the way Americans talk and to talk like them so you will be understood.
Speakers of American English generally don’t think about the way they speak. They hardly ever have the slightest idea about grammar and syntax. This makes it very hard for non-native speakers to figure out what they are talking about.

These examples will help. It’s a good idea to know and understand all these examples. However, if you speak too correctly you will be thought of as somewhat strange. Our suggestion is that you use the ‘correct’ ways in writing and use the ‘wrong’ ways in speaking. This will make you sound much more like a native speaker.

Comprises or consists of? (on this page)
Goodbye to the ‘Passive Voice’ (on this page)
Wooda woodnuv (on this page)
It’s its (on this page)
You and I (on this page)
Singular or plural? Who knows? (on this page)
So that’s how it sounds (on this page)
I Just Love Those Nouns (on this page)
Words just thrown together (on this page)
That’s not in the grammar books - 1! (on this page)
That’s not in the grammar books - 2! (on this page)
What's a noun? What's a verb? (on this page)
A neutral word is taken negatively (on this page)
Anything 101 (on this page)
The meaning of is is… (on this page)
Genders in English? (on this page)
Foreign Plurals in English (on this page)
Of the I sing (on this page)
The long-delayed possessive (on this page)
What the *&)$#@ is a Relative Pronoun? (on this page)
That means two different things!
No wonder you're confused
No wonder you're confused
Adding to the confusion

Comprises or consists of? Top of Page What people say: 1. The course is comprised of grammar and vocabulary. 2. Salt is comprised of sodium and chlorine. 3. 10 million people comprise our radio audience. What people really mean: 1. The course consists of grammar and vocabulary. 2. Salt is composed of sodium and chlorine. 3. Our radio audience contains 10 million people. We suggest you say it this way: 1. The course consists of grammar and vocabulary. The course includes grammar and vocabulary. The course comprises grammar and vocabulary. The course is composed of grammar and vocabulary. 2. Salt is composed of sodium and chlorine. 3. Our radio audience comprises 10 million people. Explanation. Comprises actually means includes, encompasses, consists of, contains. There is no such thing in English as ‘is comprised of’. There is big confusion over this one. Many well-known writers, speakers and columnists don’t know which is which. The battle has been lost. In a few years the dictionaries will accept the new meaning of ‘is comprised of’. Goodbye to the ‘Passive Voice’ Top of Page What people say: 1. The soup that eats like a meal. 2. The book ships tomorrow. 3. The SUV that drives like a car What people really mean: 1. The soup that you eat as if it were a meal. The soup that is as good as a meal. 2. The book will be mailed tomorrow. 3. The SUV that you can drive like a car We suggest you say it this way: 1. The soup that is as good as a meal. 2. The book will be mailed tomorrow. 3. The SUV that you can drive like a car Explanation. More and more people use the active voice as a passive. An example of a true passive is: This is the soup that is eaten in the same way as a meal. No one is going to say that. This way of talking is used mostly by advertisers, people in a hurry, and those who have never taught an English as a Second Language class. Wooda woodnuv Top of Page What people say: If you wooda paid your taxes on time you woodnuv gotten the penalty. What people really mean: If you had paid your taxes on time, you would not have gotten the penalty. You didn’t pay your taxes on time. If you had paid them on time you would not have gotten the penalty. We suggest you say it this way: If you had paid your taxes on time, you would not have gotten the penalty. Explanation. This is one-half sloppy pronunciation and one-half ignorance. The ‘woodnuv’ sounds good in the second part of the sentence, so many people think it sounds good in the first part too. This is a conditional sentence where the condition is not true. The way people said this for hundreds of years is: ‘If you had paid your taxes on time, you would not have gotten the penalty.’ The people who say it with ‘wooda’ aren’t even aware they’re doing it. Don’t correct them. It’s its Top of Page What people write: 1. The dog scratched it's ear. 2. Its Tuesday. What people really mean: 1. The dog scratched its ear. 2. It's Tuesday. We suggest you write it this way: 1. The dog scratched its ear. 2. It's Tuesday. Explanation. The apostrophe is apparent only in writing. Still, you would think that the majority of Americans would have got it by now. Wrong. The apostrophe is used whenever the writer feels like it. It's easy. The apostrophe means that something was left out, the "i" of "is". So every time you see "it's" think "it is". If it makes sense, the apostrophe is right. Very much a lost battle. Spell checkers will not detect this and many people don’t have the slightest idea what we’re talking about here. You and I Top of Page What people say: 1. Between you and I. 2. He’s taking you and I out to lunch. 3. For you and I. 4. Between you and he. What people really mean: 1. Between you and me. 2. He’s taking you and me out to lunch. 3. For you and me. 4. Between you and him. We suggest you say it this way: 1. Between you and me. 2. He’s taking you and me out to lunch. 3. For you and me. 4. Between you and him. Explanation. Many years ago people used to say “Me and Jim are going to lunch”. Their teachers corrected them, and corrected them, and hounded them and pounded into their heads over and over again that they should say “Jim and I”. So they remembered the ‘and I’ part but didn’t know why they were saying it. A suggested way of remembering this is to drop the ‘you and’ and see what it sounds like. ‘For I’ sounds wrong. ‘For me’ sounds right. Singular or plural? Who knows? Top of Page What people say: 1. An in-depth set of lessons were created 2. This generation of Americans are fantastically generous What people really mean: 1. Someone created an in-depth set of lessons. An in-depth set of lessons was created 2. This generation of Americans is fantastically generous We suggest you say it this way: 1. An in-depth set of lessons was created 2. This generation of Americans is fantastically generous. Explanation. The verb should be singular if the subject is singular. Since many Americans don’t know what is a verb and what is a subject, they make the verb agree with the noun near it rather than with the true subject of the sentence. “set” and “generation” are the subjects in the sentences above. So that’s how it sounds Top of Page How it sounds: 1. Lose um, instead of lose them. 2. Budder. Wawdder. 3. Ahhm a believer 4. Wool go 5. Ahmm-uh-nuh 6. Prolly 7. Canadit 8. Cumftabull, cumfterbull 9. Sofner 10. Kernal 11. Tempachur 12. Taranchala 13. Close 14. Eh-joo-kay-shun 15. Marjarin 16. Morgij 17. Tor-tiss How it is written: 1. Lose them 2. Butter. Water. 3. I’m a believer 4. We will go. 5. I'm going to. 6. Probably 7. Candidate, pronounced like Kandidit 8. Comfortable 9. Softener 10. Colonel 11. Temperature 13. Clothes 14. Education 15. Margarine 16. Mortgage 17. Tortoise Explanation. The way some words are pronounced is very surprising to non-native speakers. Listen to how these words are pronounced by most TV announcers, and imitate. Colonel is a strange case. The "official" "correct" pronunciation is "kernal". Margarine shows that there is no consistent rule in English about a G being "soft" or "hard". A soft G appears in "gist", while a hard G appears in "gift". In fact there are no consistent rules in English about pronunciation or spelling. You have to learn each word individually, although there are "families" of words with similarities. I Just Love Those Nouns Top of Page What people say: 1. HIPAA Administrative Simplification Compliance Act Questions 2. camera case box holder problem resolution center 3. Tax refund anticipation loan application form 4. screen definition utility manual seller website url 5. Technology Administration Privacy Policy Statement Summary Update 6. Arctic climate change impact assessement report 7. Microsoft Windows Print Spooler Buffer Overflow Vulnerability What people really mean: 1. Questions about the compliance act for achieving administrative simplification in HIPAA 2. a center for the resolution of problems with holders of boxes for camera cases 3. the form for applying for a loan in anticipation of a tax refund 4. the URL for the website of the seller of the manual for the screen definition utility 5. An update for the summary of the privacy policy statement of the Technology Administration 6. A report that assesses the impact of climate change in the Arctic 7. Impossible to change this to something intelligible! We suggest you say it this way: Don’t say those things at all. Simpler sentences are better! Explanation. Bureaucrats, advertisers and writers of computer manuals love to string nouns together to produce meaningless blobs of words. One thing to remember, the most important noun is always last. So, in 1. above, it’s really about “questions”. Each noun, except the last, modifies the noun after it, in the same way that an adjective modifies a noun. So, in 1. above, "compliance" is like an adjective modifying "act". Notice that the real meaning of these monstrosities almost completely reverses the order of the words, and adds prepositions that make clear the relationships of the words! Words just thrown together Top of Page What people say: 1. Curb appeal 2. Tag sale 3. Fire sale 4. Baby sale 5. White sale 6. Storm closings 7. Computer matching 8. Orchard perfect apples 9. Face time What people really mean: 1. The appeal a house has when viewed from the curb. 2. A sale that uses tags. 3. A sale that takes place because of a fire. 4. A sale of items for babies. 5. A sale of white items. 6. Closings caused by a storm 7. Matching of two or more separate files, done by a computer 8. Apples that are as perfect as when in an orchard 9. Time spent face to face with someone We suggest you say it this way: 1. Curb appeal 2. Tag sale 3. Fire sale 4. Baby sale 5. White sale 6. Closings caused by a storm 7. Matching files by computer 8. Orchard perfect apples 9. Face time Explanation. Most languages require some sort of grammatical signal to show how words are related. English allows you to put two or more words together without any indication of what their connection is. That’s not in the grammar books - 1! Top of Page What people say: Every Tuesday I'd go to the market What people really mean: I used to go to the market every Tuesday. I was in the habit of going to the market every Tuesday. We suggest you say it this way: I used to go to the market every Tuesday. I was in the habit of going to the market every Tuesday. I generally went to the market every Tuesday. I customarily went to the market every Tuesday. Explanation. “I’d” is a contraction of “I would”. People also say “Every Tuesday I would go to the market”. Most grammar books don't tell you about this English “customary past tense”. The grammar books say that English has a “continuous past tense”. This is shown in the books as “used to”. I used to go to the market every Tuesday implies that I no longer go. This "new" tense does not have that implication. That’s not in the grammar books - 2! Top of Page What people say: When my spouse comes home I’ll cook dinner. What people really mean: When my spouse comes home I generally cook dinner. We suggest you say it this way: When my spouse comes home I generally cook dinner. I’m in the habit of cooking dinner when my spouse comes home. Explanation. “I’ll” is a contraction of “I will”. The grammar books call this a “future tense”, but most books don't tell you that this is an habitual present tense. Warning: the sentence “When my spouse comes home I’ll cook dinner” is totally ambiguous: it can mean “when my spouse comes home I intend to cook dinner”, and "when my spouse comes home I generally cook dinner". What's a noun? What's a verb? Top of Page What people say: 1. I’ll fax you. 2. I’ll CC you What people really mean: 1. I’ll send you a fax. 2. I will send you a carbon copy. We suggest you say it this way: 1. I’ll send you a fax. 2. I will send you a carbon copy. Explanation. The distinction between verbs and nouns is rapidly being lost. You can use them almost interchangeably. In fact the concepts of "verb" and "noun" and "part of speech" are rapidly fading in contemporary American English. A neutral word is taken negatively Top of Page What people say: 1. Do you have an attitude? 2. We have a situation here. 3. We’re having some weather here. 4. He has a temperature. What people really mean: 1. Do you have a negative attitude? 2. We have a bad situation here. 3. We’re having some bad weather here. 4. He has a high temperature. We suggest you say it this way: 1. Do you have a negative attitude? 2. We have a bad situation here. 3. We’re having some bad weather here. 4. He has a high temperature. Explanation. Sometimes a neutral word is used as a negative word. The words “attitude”, “situation”, “weather” are neither positive nor negative. However the common usage is to make them negative. Anything 101 Top of Page What people say: 1. Spelling 101. 2. Finance 101. 3. They've taken propaganda 101 4. English Literature 101 What people really mean: 1. Basic Spelling 2. Basic Finance 3. They've taken an introductory class in propaganda 4. English Literature 101 We suggest you say it this way: 1. Basic Spelling 2. Basic Finance 3. They've taken an introductory class in propaganda 4. English Literature 101 Explanation. In American colleges’ course listings, “101” is generally used for the first course on a subject. “201” is for the second, etc. Many people use this in ordinary language when not talking about college courses. The meaning of is is… Top of Page What people say: 1. The problem is, is that you are always late for work. 2. What I meant was, is that you are always late for work What people really mean: 1. The problem is that you are always late for work. 2. What I meant was that you are always late for work We suggest you say it this way: 1. The problem is that you are always late for work. 2. What I meant was that you are always late for work Explanation. Some people don’t realize that they have 2 is’s there. (Or a was and an is) They don’t know it, so don’t ask them about it. Genders in English? Top of Page What people say: 1. alumnus 2. alumna 3. alumni 4. alumnae 5. latino 6. latina What people really mean: 1. alumnus: a male former student of a college 2. alumna: a female former student of a college 3. alumni: male former students of a college 4. alumnae: female former students of a college 5. latino: male of Hispanic background 6. latina: female of Hispanic background We suggest you say it this way: Say what everyone else says. Explanation. English does not have genders! However, some people insist on using genders in English. When talking about a hurricane some people used ‘she’ because it was named Isabel! Also, some people refer to a ship as ‘she’. Foreign Plurals in English Top of Page What people say: They were playing Brahms concerti The faculty debated the curricula Look out! there are two hippopotami about to eat you! Those two babies really look like two cherubim! What people really mean: They were playing Brahms concertos The faculty debated the curriculums Look out! hippopotamus gonna eat ya! Those two babies really look like two cherubs! We suggest you say it this way: They were playing Brahms concertos The faculty debated the curriculums Look out! hippopotamus gonna eat ya! Those two babies really look like two cherubs! Explanation. Concerto is an Italian word. Some people insist on using the Italian plural when speaking English. Here are some more examples: French: chateau, chateaux Greek: basis, bases Greek: crisis, crises Greek: criterion, criteria Greek: hippopotamus, hippopotami (Greek with Latin endings) Greek: neurosis, neuroses Greek: oasis, oases Greek: octopus, octopi (Greek with Latin endings) Greek: parenthesis, parentheses Greek: phenomenon, phenomena Greek: stigma, stigmata Greek: thesis, theses Hebrew: cherub, cherubim Hebrew: kibbutz, kibbutzim Hebrew: matzoh, matzot Italian: concerto, concerti Italian: libretto, libretti Italian: virtuoso, virtuosi Latin: alga, algae Latin: alumna, alumnae Latin: alumnus, alumni Latin: antenna, antennae Latin: appendix, appendices Latin: cactus, cacti Latin: corpus, corpora Latin: curriculum, curricula Latin: focus, foci Latin: formula, formulae Latin: genus, genera (this is ridiculous!) Latin: index, indices (this one really irks me!) Latin: matrix, matrices Latin: medium, media Latin: memorandum, memoranda Latin: millenium, millenia Latin: nucleus, nuclei Latin: octopus, octopi (Greek with Latin endings) Latin: pupa, pupae Latin: stimulus, stimuli Latin: stratum, strata Latin: syllabus, syllabi Latin: terminus, termini But this is not followed consistently: coliseum, coliseums forum, forums museum, museums If you plan to be a college professor or a columnist, use the foreign plurals and show everyone that you are smarter than everyone else. We recommend that you follow the normal rules for English plurals rather than use the plural of the foreign language. English plurals are quite simple. Generally you add an ‘s’ or 'es', change the spelling and/or pronunciation for esthetic reasons, allow for exceptions such as ‘feet’ and ‘sheep’ and you have it. There is no reason why English should be forced to follow the grammatical rules of another language! It would make as much sense to force English to use the cases of another language: I sat on a cacto! They debated the syllabum curriculorum! The appearance stigmatos frightened him! Of the I sing Top of Page What people say: 1. Thee only way is... 2. It is thee.....(hesitation before next word) 3. He is thee best! What people really mean: 1. The only way is... 2. It is the.....(hesitation before next word) 3. He is the best! We suggest you say it this way: 1. Thee only way is... 2. It is thee.....(hesitation before next word) 3. He is thee best! Explanation. The grammar books and dictionaries don't tell you that the most common word, the definite article, "the" has two pronunciations. In normal speech it sounds like "thuh". However, in the speech of many people it sounds like "thee" in certain cases. 1. Before a word beginning with a vowel. 2. When the speaker stops to take a breath or searches for a word. 3. When it is used for emphasis. The long-delayed possessive Top of Page What people say: It's the lady I met in the store's hat It's my cousin who went to Rome's car What people really mean: The hat belongs to the lady I met in the store The car belongs to my cousin who went to Rome We suggest you say it this way: The hat belongs to the lady I met in the store The car belongs to my cousin who went to Rome Explanation. Normally, the mark of the possessive in English is "'s" after the noun that possesses (lady)! However, it is common in spoken English to put the "'s" just before the noun that is possessed (hat). This can happen even if there are many words between the noun that possesses and the noun that is possessed. What the *&)$#@ is a Relative Pronoun? Top of Page What people say: 1. She's the lady I met 2. He's the guy bought a Lexus 3A. The day I got married it was snowing. 3B. The day the earth stood still. 4. It's so cold I had to wear a hat 5. You're the reason I need a bodyguard What people really mean: 1. She's the lady that I met She's the lady who I met She's the lady whom I met (a few English teachers say it this way) 2. He's the guy who bought a Lexus 3A. The day on which I got married it was snowing. 3B. The day on which the earth stood still. 4. It's so cold that I had to wear a hat 5. You're the reason why I need a bodyguard It's because of you that I need a bodyguard We suggest you say it this way: 1. She's the lady that I met She's the lady I met 2. He's the guy who bought a Lexus 3A. The day I got married it was snowing. The day on which I got married it was snowing. The day when I got married it was snowing. 3B. The day the earth stood still. The day on which the earth stood still. The day when the earth stood still. 4. It's so cold I had to wear a hat It's so cold that I had to wear a hat 5. You're the reason I need a bodyguard You're the reason why I need a bodyguard It's because of you that I need a bodyguard Explanation. The relative pronoun (that, whom) is optional when it is the object of a verb. (1) However, some people omit it (who) when it is the subject of a verb! (2) Most omit it even when there is a preposition with the relative pronoun! (3) and when it introduces a result (4), and with "why" (5), That means two different things! Top of Page What people say: 1. She left the class feeling much more competent. 2. Nobody Can Say What They Like About John. 3. Taunting cyclists can't stop racing. What people really mean: 1A. As she left the class, she felt much more competent. 1B. When she left the class, the students felt much more competent. 2A. Nobody is able to say what it is that they like about John. 2B. Nobody is able to say the things that they want to say about John. 3A. If you taunt cyclists, you can't stop their racing. 3B. Cyclists who taunt others don't want to stop racing. We suggest you say it this way: 1A. As she left the class, she felt much more competent. 1B. When she left the class, the students felt much more competent. 2A. Nobody is able to say what it is that they like about John. 2B. Nobody is able to say the things that they want to say about John. 3A. If you taunt cyclists, you can't stop their racing. 3B. Cyclists who taunt others don't want to stop racing. Explanation. "She left the class feeling much more competent" means two different things, and there is no way to know which one! This complete and total ambiguity exists in many English sentences, but listeners figure out which one makes more sense in the context. The above examples do not permit that. Note the two following sentences. They illustrate the two possible meanings of "left her feeling". The phone call left her feeling relieved. By listening to her daughter's concerns, Jane left her feeling relieved. Modern English is tending to become a language that expresses less and less meaning with words and leaves more and more interpretation to the listener. No wonder you're confused Top of Page What people say: 1. Drinking Water Aboard Airliners Worsens Your Fatigue. 2. Drinking Water Aboard Airliners Worsens Each Year. 3. Tracking cookies aren't harmful to your computer. 4. Tracking cookies isn't harmful to your computer. 5A. I ran over the bridge. 5B. I ran over the cyclist. 6A. Sweeping schedule changes set for Monday. 6B. Sweeping schedule changes next Monday. What people really mean: 1. The act of drinking water on airplanes makes you more tired. 2. The water that is available for drinking on airplanes is getting worse and worse, every year. 3. The cookies that are placed on your computer for tracking purposes don't harm your computer. 4. It doesn't hurt your computer for you to track cookies that are placed on your computer. 5A. I crossed the bridge while running. 5B. I hit the cyclist with my car. 6A. Changes to the sweeping schedule are to take effect Monday. 6B. The sweeping schedule will change next Monday. We suggest you not say these at all Use clear, unambiguous language. Explanation. In sentence 1, the words are parsed this way: Drinking - a verbal noun, known as a "gerund", meaning "the act of drinking" water - the noun, object of the verb "drinking" worsens - the verb, active voice, meaning "causes to become worse" Your Fatigue - object of the verb "worsens" In sentence 2, the words are parsed this way: Drinking - adjective modifying "water" water - the noun, subject of the verb "worsens" worsens - the verb, passive voice (or reflexive) meaning "becomes worse" Each Year - adverbial clause, modifying "worsens" In sentences 3 and 4 you don't know how "tracking" is used until you see the "aren't/isn't". "aren't" tells you that "tracking" is an adjective modifying the noun "cookies" "isn't" tells you that "tracking" is a verbal noun (a gerund) which modifies "cookies", giving you "the kind of cookies that do tracking". This means that you don't know how the words are used until you reach the end of the sentence. When you read "your fatigue" or "each year", you know that ONE of the TWO possibilities is grammatical and ONE is ungrammatical. The sentences are ambiguous and therefore meaningless until you reach the end! Modern English is tending to become a language that places words next to each other indiscriminitely, without regard to syntax or grammar, and forces the listener to do some fancy mental figuring in order to understand the sentence. Adding to the confusion Top of Page What people say: 1A. I ran over the bridge. 1B. I ran over the cyclist. What people really mean: 1A. I went over the bridge on foot at a high rate of speed. 1B. I crushed the cyclist with my car. Explanation. In sentence 1A, "ran over" is taken literally. In sentence 1B, "ran over" is the prepositional verb meaning to crush with one's car. Past Participle and Past Tense are Merging Top of Page What people say: 1. I shooda ran in the race. 2. I shooda went to the bank. 3. Ida gave it to ya. 4. Ida rode wit ya. What people really mean: 1. I should have run in the race. 2. I should have gone to the bank. 3. I would have given it to you. 4. I would have ridden with you. We suggest you say it this way: 1. I should have run in the race. 2. I should have gone to the bank. 3. I would have given it to you. 4. I would have ridden with you. Explanation. English verbs have 3 forms commonly shown in the dictionary. The present, E.G. "run" (I run a business) The past, E.G. "ran" (I ran to the bus stop) The past participle, E.G. "run" (I have run this business for 5 years) Other examples: The present, E.G. "go" (I go to work at 8) The past, E.G. "went" (I went the wrong way and was late) The past participle, E.G. "gone" (5 years have gone by since I went to Paris) There is a tendency to confuse the past and the past participle. In popular language, not accepted as correct, one form is chosen and the other is dropped. Before long this tendency will become accepted as correct. "Shooda" is not the point here. It is sloppy pronunciation for "should have". Do you know anyone who says "I would have given it to you"? This is an example of language change, happening right before your ears!

 Comprendre les américains quand ils parlent

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