“Oh my god!” A: Do you have your composition assignment finished? B: No, butit's not due until next Friday. No, it isn’t. It’s due tomorrow. This Friday, not next Friday! : Oh my god! I've got to get started! ‘taught him to talk like that! Surely Oh my god! This \\___ not his parents, is too difficult! & Don’t say... Don’t say Olt my god! when you are surprised, upset, or angry about something. ‘You must especially avoid it if you are talking to someone you respect or someone who is older than you. Many people, especially religious people, are very offended when someone uses the name of God or Jesus when he or she is angry or upset. To them, this is blasphemy. oO Do say... Do say Oh my gosh! instead of Oh my god! You can also use other expressions such as oh no, good grief, or just gosh. ‘Oh my gosh! It’s 5:00 already. I've got to go. Good grief! We've got so much homework tonight. Ill never get it done. 98Corrected dialogue Do you have your composition assignment finished? No, but it’s not due until next Friday. A: No, it isn't. It’s due tomorrow. This Friday, not next Ft B: Oh my gosh! I've got* to get started! Pale SEK BLOKE On my godOlek AME ARGO! GICh SINR! OlAIst BS rim eatae! OIRO, Rel AAREOIAS mls 201 SC, Sos so} obsIeaI= BS q7loi7t ct, olatst US OBA ROVSH WS VHolvlolah sta, AE eel staat sk Clolal AB Yeo! 22! (ols 201 godel ool Aleit SUPE 212! UI (oles So} gosh) etek= 7k He, olelet BE AE Ul ‘BAZ ORCI SIO1M four letter words BIC, Every language has “bad” words — swear words that you should not say to other people. English is no exception; there are many bad words in English. Unless you grow up in a language, you do not really have a feel for these words; you cannot feel how offensive or shocking they are to others. Therefore, it is best to avoid these bad words at all times. English, like other languages, has many euphemisms. These are words which sound similar to the bad words, but are not nearly so bad. These are the words you say out loud while thinking the bad words inside your head! Below is a list of euphemisms. You may be able to guess the corresponding bad word because it usually begins with the same letter as the euphemism. If you are not sure, ask a native speaker or do a search on the Internet for “list of euphemisms.” Euphemisms: shoot, dang (it), darn (it), fudge, freakin’, son of a gun, gee, jeepers, heck, and gosh/golly. *And one more thing It's very common to hear “have got to” instead of “have to.” Both mean exactly the same thing. For example, you may hear “I've got to go home" or "He's got to get a better job.” This is often said very fast, so gof to sounds like gotta. Also, the verb have is always contracted to ‘s or ‘ve. More often than not, the contracted verb ‘ve is almost silent. You may even hear “It's late. | gotta go.” Polite Expressions » 99@ Finish the words with euphemistic expressions to express frustration or anger. 1. Oh sh__!I got the wrong kind of milk at the grocery store. 2.G___ this math problem is really hard. I can't do it. 3. Oh, h__! Let’s just quit for today and start again tomorrow. 4, He's a dishonest son of a g__. 5. Oh, £ 1 did it again! © Reorganize the following words into correct, logical sentences. Begin each sentence with the underlined word L.got again we've to sometime this do 2.son a of he’s strange gun a 3.got soon he why’s to leave so © Translate the following sentences from Korean into English. 1. Lol BoE woleh, 2. Mel, AES HE] cA] Soka 3. 9] w7t LAS | ByOF B72 » Answers on page 114 100What are dirty words? Adults often call swear words "dirty" words or “four-letter words" because so many of them have four letters. If a child says one of these “dirty” words, parents almost always correct him or her on the spot with “Never say that word again!” Depending on the offensiveness of the word, the child may also be punished. In olden days, if children said “dirty” words, parents or teachers would rub the child's tongue with a bar of soap in order to get the “dirt” out of the child's mouth. Nowadays, people never really wash a child's mouth out with soap, but you sometimes hear the threat! If a child is heard swearing, it is not uncommon to hear an adult say, “If you say that word again, I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap!" In general, there are three different kinds of American swear words. Those which refer to God, Jesus and the Bible, are called "blasphemy." Then there are the words that relate to body functions. The severity or "ugliness" of the word is related to the unacceptability of the action in public. Hence, fart and belch are not nice, but not nearly as bad as sh* or f***, Almost all words associated with the bathroom are “bad words," so people who use them a lot are said to have a “potty (toilet) mouth." Comedians who use too much dirty language are said to resort to “bathroom humor.” The third class of dirty words is related to race or minority groups. These “racial/ethnic slurs" are especially hurtful words and used mostly by uneducated, insensitive persons. Racial slurs are often associated with certain historical periods. During World War II, slurs for the Japanese and the Germans were common. During and before the civil rights movement, there were many offensive words for African Americans. When cartoons want to show inappropriate language, they use symbols, If you see a cartoon character saying, "You #@*%i#* idiot!" you can be sure that the missing word or words are not allowed in print! Because, as children, native speakers are often harshly punished for swearing, they have a “feeling for these words that non-native learners of English can never truly experience. It never sounds as bad to say a swear word in a foreign language as it does to say one in your own language. Always avoid "swear" words. If you plan to be in an English-speaking country, you might want to check out Dangerous English, by Elizabeth Claire. Become familiar with these words; you should know what they mean, and you should remember never to say them. Polite Expressions - 107