VOA日常语法--Grammar and Christmas

Many Americans experience surprise (or disappointment) when they wake up on Christmas Day.

They might be surprised or disappointed by a family member's actions. They might be happy or unhappy about a Christmas gift.

Imagine a child expects to get an Xbox or PlayStation for Christmas. On Christmas morning, they quickly open their gift .... Inside is an English grammar book.

They might feel disappointed.

The Everyday Grammar team would prefer the new English grammar book. But if you are like most young people, you would probably rather have a new videogame system.

Today, we are going to explore those feelings - feelings of surprise and disappointment. In other words, we are going to explore how speakers show that reality was better or worse than their expectations.

Counter expectation

Many languages use words to express expectation. Speakers also use words to express how events are not happening as expected. This idea is known as "counter expectation."*Do not worry about the term. Just remember that it means that speakers use words to show that reality is going against (or countering) their expectations.

English has many words that serve this purpose. Three of the most common are the words "even," "still," and "actually." You will often hear them in casual², everyday speech.

Speakers use these words to show surprise or disappointment. The pitch of their voice tells you what they mean.

Let's study examples of each word.

Even

Speakers often use the word "even" to show disappointment or surprise.

Imagine a young child that expects a phone call from a family member - perhaps an uncle or grandparent. The phone call never comes. The child might say the following:

What's wrong with him? He didn't even call me on Christmas day.

?Here, the child is expressing disappointment. She could have expressed the same idea in a much longer statement, such as: "I was expecting him to call on Christmas Day, but I didn't hear from him. Why didn't he give me a call?""Even" highlights³ the child's disappointment because it emphasizes⁵ that the family member did not try to call.

"Even" does not always have a sad meaning. It can have a happy meaning too.

Imagine a man named Ted¹. Ted is a forgetful man. He forgets to send letters or gifts to his parents.

Ted's parents might have the following talk after they get a Christmas letter from him:

Did you see Ted's letter?

Yeah - he even sent us a gift!"

Here, the word "even" shows a pleasant surprise. Ted's mother did not expect a gift from him. By saying "he even sent us a gift" she is suggesting that Ted has gone beyond her expectations.

Still

Americans sometimes use "still" for showing how reality does not quite meet their expectations.

Consider this example, from the 1986 film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. At the end of the film, Ferris says the following lines. A different speaker might say similar lines after a lengthy⁶, tiring, and disagreeable family Christmas party:

You're still here? It's over! Go home. Go!

In the film, you can see the surprised look on Ferris' face. When he says, "You're still here," you can tell he did not expect people to still be around. He is a little disappointed.

Now, imagine a different situation. A family is having a Christmas dinner. They are looking for one family member, Uncle Bob. They wonder if he left without saying goodbye.

Have you seen Uncle Bob?

No. Did he leave? Wait! There he is! He's still here!

The way the final speaker says "still" shows that she is surprised to learn he was still at the dinner. She expected otherwise.

Actually

A third common word that shows surprise or disappointment is "actually.""Actually" suggests something is true - even when it differs from what might have been thought or expected.

Remember Uncle Bob? Bob has always been a nice guy.

Imagine Uncle Bob sees a Christmas present he likes, and then runs away with it. A speaker might say:

I can't believe it! Uncle Bob actually stole her Christmas gift.

Here, the speaker uses "actually" to emphasize⁴ the unexpectedness⁷ of a happening - Uncle Bob stealing the present. She does not sound very happy!

Speakers can use "actually" to show positive feelings, too.

Think back to our character Ted - the guy who always forgets to give gifts for Christmas.

His parents could have shown their surprise at receiving a gift from Ted by saying the following:

Ted actually gave us a gift!

Here, the word "actually" shows that they are pleasantly surprised at this strange happening: Ted remembered Christmas!

What can you do?

The next time you are listening to an English speaker, try to find examples of words that show "counter expectation." Is the speaker expressing surprise or disappointment? How does the speaker change the pitch of their voice?

By answering these questions, you will start to learn how English speakers communicate emotions in subtle⁸ ways.

Excuse me, John, are you still recording⁹ your show?

Yes!

You're still recording? We have to go to the Christmas party!

Oh no! I had actually forgotten about that! And that's Everyday Grammar.

I'm John Russell.

I'm Anna Mateo.

And I'm Ashley Thompson.

John Russell wrote this lesson for Learning¹⁰ English.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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Words in This Story

prefer - v. to like (someone or something) better than someone or something else?

rather - adv. used to indicate what you want or prefer to do, have, etc.?

pitch - n. the highness or lowness of a sound?

emphasize - v. to give special attention to (something) : to place emphasis¹¹ on (something)?

disappointment - n. a feeling of sadness or displeasure when one's hopes or expectations are not fulfilledcasual - adj. not formal

positive - adj. thinking about the good qualities of someone or something : thinking that a good result will happen: hopeful or optimistic?

subtle - adj. hard to notice or see : not obvious

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 casual   

adj.漠不关心，冷漠的；随便的，非正式的；偶然的，碰巧的

参考例句：

• He earns a living by casual labour.他靠做临时工为生。
• The guests wore casual clothes.客人们穿着便服。

3 highlights   

n.头发挑染部分；全球知名儿童刊物及相关产品的发行和销售商的名称、商号及商标

参考例句：

• The report highlights the major problems facing society today. 报告特别强调了当今社会所面临的主要问题。
• The report highlights a number of instances of injustice. 这篇报道重点列举了一些不公正的实例。

4 emphasize   

vt.加强…的语气，强调，着重

参考例句：

• I must emphasize the fact that she is only a little girl. 我必须强调这样一个事实，这就是她只不过是个小女孩。
• I must emphasize the fact that they are only children. 我必须强调这一事实,即他们只不过是孩子。

5 emphasizes   

强调( emphasize的第三人称单数 )； 加强语气； 重读； 使突出

参考例句：

• Marx concentrates on the alienation of labour and emphasizes the invidious aspects. 马克思集中论述了劳动的异化，强调它令人厌恶的方面。
• What he emphasizes most is that we must walk the mass line. 他最强调的是我们必须走群众路线。

6 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

7 unexpectedness   

参考例句：

• The sheer unexpectedness of it made my hair stir under my cap. 这猝不及防的惊变，使我帽子下面的头发都竖起来。 来自辞典例句
• It is of unexpectedness, imitativeness, changeableness and it is just blindly following. 青少年偏差行为具有突发性、仿性、变性和盲从性等特点。 来自互联网

8 subtle   

adj.难于觉察或描述的，精巧的

参考例句：

• Her whole attitude had undergone a subtle change.她的整个态度发生了微妙的变化。
• There's a subtle hint of garlic in the sauce.调味汁里稍微有一点蒜味。

9 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

10 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

11 emphasis   

n.强调，重点，重要性

参考例句：

• The emphasis has shifted markedly in recent years.最近几年重点已经明显改变了。
• Particular emphasis will be placed on oral language training.将会特别强调口语训练。