What's the most awkward moment in your English study? | Chitchat
Due to globalization, English has become a widely used language in the world. We started to learn English since we were little, and teachers told us that if we learn English well, we can communicate with the world.
The continual passing scores in English tests — CET-4, CET-6, TEM-4, TEM-8, TOFEL, IELTS — gave us confidence that we had already mastered English. However, when we first arrive in an English-speaking country, we still might face many awkward moments where we either don't fully understand what foreigners are saying, or can't express the meaning correctly.
An old joke about yes or no may explain this further. Once my landlord asked me, "Did you eat anything yet?" I said, "No." She responded, "So you didn't eat anything?" I said, "Yes." The old woman hesitated, and asked again, "Did you eat?" I said, "Yes." I thought she was going to have a breakdown, but then she asked: "Did you eat anything yet or not?"
Some Chinglish can also puzzle foreigners like calling ketchup "tomato sauce" or french fries "potato bars" or a straw a "suck tube".
- Chitchat topic -
What's the most awkward moment
in your English study?
Share your stories and ideas with us, and we'll publish some of them next Monday.
Editors: Zhang Xi, Jin Chuanzhi (intern)
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