ANSWERS

ANSWERS

England and America are two countries separated by a common language. George Bernard Shaw

1. Expressions used to indicate incredulity

tell me another (one)! What you just told me was a lie, so go ahead and tell me another lie!

Did you know that the football coach was once a dancer in a movie? - Go on! Tell me another one!

yeah sure.(1) If someone says, "Yeah, right," they’re not casually telling you you’re right. They’re ironically saying “Not likely.”

Yeah, yeah, sure you tell everybody the same thing.

are you serious / are you kidding (me)? / are you having a laugh? / yeah, right / no / no way! / for real / go away / bullshit / get out (of here) / get lost / go fuck yourself

yeah, sure.(2) A polite way of say “I don’t give a rat’s ass about this”.

Friend1: Hey, lets go to a movie or a play tonight.  Friend2: yeah sure.

yeah, sure (3) When you’re hanging out with so you really look up to and they ask you if you want to go to a party, play it cool by saying “Yeah, sure,” instead of “Yes! I’d love to!”

You would almost never write “yeah” unless you were trying to mimic the sound of talking. 

For real? Are you telling me the truth?" or "I'm telling you the truth." Also for reals.

Sally: I got an A on my paper. Bennie: For real? Sally: For real!

(So) Let me get this straight – Donna told you she wanted to get back together and you said no? Eric: I said no. Red: What the Hell is wrong with you?

2. Expressions to show full agreement on sth / for expressing strong agreement.

yeah,yeah, yeah If someone interrupts you while you’re talking and says “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” it means, “I already know that—–get on with it!.”

You're telling me ! I'm well aware of that. / I know.

She's a terrific dancer. - You're telling me! I taught her how.

You're telling me the prices are ski-high here (early 1900s)

You (sure) can say that again !

This is so boring! - Yeah, You sure can say that again!

3. Expressions used to show surprise

Fancy that / Imagine that. I am very surprised to hear that. That is hard to imagine or believe

Mary: My father was elected president of the board. Sally: Fancy that!
Sue: This computer is ten times faster than the one we had before. Jane: Imagine that! Is it easy to operate? Sue: Of course not.

How about that? (Isn't that surprising, remarkable, or pleasing)

They're engaged — how about that?

4. Phrases for encouraging. (exclamation of approval)

(that's the) way to go

Well done, as in That was a great lecture-way to go! This exclamation of approval and encouragement originated in sports, addressed to athletes who are performing well. In the 1960s it began to be used for any kind of achievement.

Ten Expressions to Use In Speaking And Writing

1. You're coming along well
2. Keep up the good work
3. That's a good effort
4. That's a real improvement
5. You're on the right lines
6. Keep going
7. Come on, you can do
8. Give it your best shot
9. What have you got to lose?
10. If at first you don't succeed...

How To Use These Phrases In Your English

1. Phrases 1 to 4 are often used to encourage someone who is working and doing well.
2. Phrase 5 is used to say someone is not exactly right but could get it right if they tried again.
3. Phrases 6 and 7 are general ways of encouraging and can suggest that the person should not stop.
4. Phrases 8 and 9 can be used to encourage someone to try something new.
5. ...try and try again. The first half of this phrase can be used to encourage someone to try again, even if the first attempt was unsuccessful.

More examples of answers

http://www.espressoenglish.net/100-answers-to-common-english-questions/

Be that as it may, I still think you're wrong.

I never stopped to think about that!

"Would you like to order dinner?" Reply: "Bear in mind that I do not speak French."

Are you quite sure it was your brother? Absolutely!

Are you quite sure of that?

Nope, I’m single.("Nope" is an informal way to say "No")

Are you married? Nope, but I’m in a relationship. / No, but I'm engaged, we're getting married next year.

So I can ... / I'm thinking of ... / Because I'd like to ... / I love learning ...

Why are you studying English? So I can communicate when I travel / I’m thinking of studying in England. / For work / Because I’d like to immigrate to the U.S. / I love learning new languages.

I picked it up from ...

Where / How did you learn English? I picked it up from movies and songs. (I learned it casually) / I took clasees for three years / I did an intensive course / I've been studying on my own / by myself
I usually hang out with friends. “Hang out” means to spend time in an informal way / I go running a lot.

Shopping & Social Questions

1. What time is it? / Do you have the time?

Let me check my phone. / Sorry, I don’t know.

2. Can I help you? / Do you need any help?

This is a question that you might hear from an employee or salesperson in a store.

No thanks, I’m just browsing.
“Browsing” means looking casually at the items.
Yes – do you have this in a larger size?
Yes – where are the try-on rooms?“Try-on rooms” means the place where you can put on the clothes to see if they are the right size and if you like them.
Yeah, can you tell me how much this is?
Yeah, I’m looking for something under $30.

3. How’s it going?

Great! Couldn’t be better! This means that everything is excellent.
Fine. How are things with you?
Not bad. This means that things are OK.
I can’t complain.
Do you really wanna know? Normally when people ask “how’s it going?” they expect a positive response like “fine” or “good.” If you say “Do you really wanna know?” it means that things are going badly, but you are not sure if the other person wants to listen to your problems or not.

4. How are you feeling?

Great! Never better. / I’m all right. / Like I need a vacation. / A little depressed. / Really awful. You can say you’re feeling “awful” for both physical and emotional pain.

5. What’s the weather like? (1) / How’s the weather? (2)

Hot and humid.(1)
It’s pouring – take an umbrela. (2) “Pouring” means raining very heavily.
A little chilly – you might wanna bring a jacket. “Chilly” means a little bit cold.
Gorgeous – a perfect summer day! (2)
It’s quite cold – make sure to bundle up. “Bundle up” means to wear warm clothing for protection against the cold.
How was your day?
Really good! / Pretty uneventful. This means that nothing particularly special or interesting happened during the day. / Very productive. / Super busy. / A total nightmare. A “nightmare” is a terrible, scary dream. Describing an experience as a “nightmare” means it was horrible.

Did you like the movie?

It was fantastic. / It was terrible. / It wasn’t bad. / It’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. / No, I didn’t think it lived up to the hype.This means the movie was not as good as its publicity presented.

How was the party?

Crazy – it was absolutely packed. “Packed” means it was crowded; there were very many people there. / It was a good time. / Small, but fun. / There was hardly anybody there. / Boring – I couldn’t wait to get outta there.

Can you give me a hand?

This means “can you help me?” – often with a physical task like moving furniture or carrying a box.

Of course! / I’d be glad to. / Will it take long? / Sure – just a sec. This means “just a second” Sorry – I’m a bit busy at the moment.

What have you been up to lately?

This question means “What have you been doing recently?” – you can answer it in the present perfect continuous.

I’ve been working a lot. / Mostly studying. / I’ve been taking it easy. This means “relaxing, not doing anything intense or stressful.” / Planning my summer vacation. / Nothing much.

What’s the matter?

This means “What’s the problem?” – you can ask it to someone who appears sad or upset.

Oh, I’m just having a rough day. A “rough day” means a difficult, bad day. / I’m not feeling so good. / I just found out my mother’s in the hospital. The phrasal verb “found out” means “discovered or heard some new information.” / I’d rather not talk about it. This means “I’d prefer not to talk about it.” / Nothing, I’m fine.

 

Restaurant Questions

What would you like to drink?

Iced tea, please. / Just water for me. / What do you have? / Could we see the wine list?
Nothing for me, thanks.

Are you ready to order?

To “order” means to ask the waiter/waitress for the food you want to eat.

Not quite – I think we need a little more time. / What are the specials today? “Specials” are featured dishes that might also have a discount. / Yes, I’ll have a Caesar salad and then the baked chicken with potatoes. The most common way to order food is to say “I’ll have…” / Uh-huh. To start off, we’ll split an order of nachos.
“To start off” means you are ordering an appetizer (small amount of food eaten before the main meal). “Split” means that two or more people will share/divide one order of food. / Almost – I just have a couple of questions.

Is everything OK?

While you are eating, the waiter/waitress will often come to your table and ask this question to check if you need anything.

Yes, everything’s fine, thanks. / It’s all delicious! / Could we have some more water, please?
“Could we have…” is a polite way to ask for something. / Actually, I’m still waiting for my side dish. A “side dish” is a small portion of food that accompanies the main meal. / To be honest, my food is kinda cold. Could you heat it up? “To be honest…” is a diplomatic way to introduce a complaint or negative comment.

Can I get you anything else?

The waiter/waitress will probably ask you this after you have finished eating.

Two decaf coffees, please. “Decaf coffee” is coffee with no caffeine. / Just the check, please. The “check” is the list of items and the total price to pay. / No thanks – I think we’re just about done.