The GRAMMAR POLICE Correct Common English Speaking Mistakes | Are you Guilty?

I'm the grammar policeman. In this video we investigate everyday grammar and vocabulary errors and explain why they are wrong. Those who committed these crimes will suffer the consequences. They will be sent to their rooms without dinner and the Wi-Fi will be cut off. There are 10 mistakes in all in this video. How many do you know?
00:00 Do we agree?
01:03 My European trip
03:04 The barista
04:23 At the train station
05:18 At the bar
06:00 What she said
07:39 What she likes
08:58 See you soon
10:33 What I did before
11:36 The boyfriend
13:11 The tourist
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[@LetThemTalkTV]

ERRATUM: 12:50 it should say "What does he look like?" and not "What's does he look like." I run while I type sorry for the confusion. Also in part 2. It's ok to say "to have here" or "to have in" my point is that the phrase needed a verb. Some have pointed out that in the US it's quite common to say "for here" and I accept that though it still sounds strange to me.

[@irina_moscow6228]

It’s called instant karma hhhhh 😀

[@logicalson]

Self-arrested grammar police! Another success story. Kudos to you and to the police :)

[@edytkas3751]

😂 brilliant

[@user-pi2te6zm2o]

US "for here" reminded me old Soviet story of two Russians in London. The dialogue was: - Which watch? - Seven watch. - Such much?! - To whom how. - MGIMO finished? - Ask! (MGIMO - state institute of foreign affairs).

[@user-wy7yb1zy1t]

@@user-pi2te6zm2o 😆

[@FifthCat5]

Perhaps the barista had spent time in the US, where “for here or to go” is completely the norm. People would look at you strangely if you said “to have in.”

[@jornstobbe6735]

Yeah, I totally agree with you. I think it's the standard convention (particularly in the US) for how to ask the customer where they are having their coffee. The 'corrected' forms sound clunky by comparison.

[@mariemilycraig]

@@jornstobbe6735 I agree they sounded clunky. Here in Scotland they say "Sit in or take away?".

[@luanacyranka835]

I live in camada and it’s the same here :) I worked as a barista for a year and I’ve never heard anyone saying “to have in”, to be honest, it doesn’t even sound right 😂

[@AAA-fh5kd]

Damn straight. Some of these are fine general American English. of which there are MILLIONSmore speakers than any british dialect lol.

[@anwalt693]

Nor is "have in" any more logical or less idiomatic than "for here." We English speakers use "have" as a substitute for a more accurate verb, as in "have breakfast," or "have a drink." That hardly makes it universal or preferable.

[@McCord.Pierce]

I'll add to the chorus as an American--"for here or to go" is the standard way this question is asked in the US. Also in the US, I use "see you soon" when I'm about to see someone in a few minutes (on Skype before a meeting, for example, or when a friend has just called me to tell me he's arrived at my residence). I've heard it used by others, too. So if you hear weird English abroad...it may be American!

[@susanwhite7474]

Yes, "see you soon" can mean see you in a few minutes (after the other person parks the car or walks to the restaurant, etc.)

[@gabor222]

"- I'd like a return ticket please. - Where to? - To back here, of course..." :D

[@a.sarnelli]

I live in Chicago (US) and whenever I go to restaurant or coffee shop, they’ll ask “is it for here or to go”? This is a very common expression, and to be honest I could not imagine a scenario where the question would be phrased differently. When I have to buy a train, bus or plane ticket, they’ll ask, “would you like a one-way or round-trip ticket”? If they said, a return ticket, I would assume it is only to return. When you are going to see a person later that day or in the near future, you would say, “I’ll see you soon.” I can only speak as a Chicagoan, but I find British English much more formal than American English. For us, most of the rules are thrown out the window, and a lot of “incorrect grammar” is used instead. It used to be only used informally, but it has become much more acceptable to use “incorrect grammar” in formal settings, such as college, work, etc. Also, there are many differences when it comes to words, expressions, and so on between British and American English, that even caused me some confusion when I visited London a few years ago.

[@gr8wings]

As far as I know, if you use "trip" is implicit that you're going to return

[@maythesciencebewithyou]

@@gr8wings but perhaps you already bought the ticket to get there, but now need to return on another date, so need to buy a new return ticket and only a return ticket.

[@oyoo3323]

@@maythesciencebewithyou then specify in that scenario. Otherwise, it is a fair assumption that it is not the case.

[@JRJonesOD]

I agree with the return ticket description. If you need a return ticket, then you already have a way to get there. One way or round trip is the way we say it in Texas. The "go and return" reminds me of asking for a round trip ticket in French "aller-retour".

[@lbrtvlldr]

"For here or to go" is the one and only way I've ever been asked that question here in Vancouver, Canada. I'm pretty sure I've heard the same thing in other places across Canada and the US.

[@vojtechpilar5809]

Does it mean that it's not nessecerily incorrect then?

[@lindenbeck]

Sorry but Americans are not able to speak English. A friend of mine, who is from the UK, said in presence of an American Americans are not able to speak English.

[@JacksonCA2]

@@lindenbeck Your friend is an eejit.

[@susanwhite7474]

Absolutely the norm in the US. If something really becomes the norm in polite conversation, then it begins to "read"as grammatically correct. I would say that the technical argument why it could be considered correct is that the barista is asking you to specify which of the two categories you want to order: one commonly referred to as "for here" and one referred to as "to go." Both seem equally correct / incorrect in common (polite) usage. Doesn't seem any more inappropriate than calling a food order "take away." Or calling the main shopping street in town "high street."

[@susanwhite7474]

@@vojtechpilar5809 Correct - it reads as acceptable / normal usage in conversation

[@NickDixon]

Most of these mistakes reveal the patterns in the speakers' native languages, and as a native English speaker I find them interesting rather than unacceptably wrong. But it's helpful to point out the little changes that can make these phrases sound more idiomatic. Better here though than right there in the coffee shop.

[@antondoronin1261]

Yes) I may translate word for word as a russian, that's why it sounds weird

[@AAA-fh5kd]

Some of these are perfectly fine American english. So this foo is needin fer tae be specific-laik anent whut soart o "English" he is speaking of.

[@susanwhite7474]

Yes, this video would be better if it were labeled as specifically about British English

[@polyanthajones8168]

Not only do they tell you about the native languages, they also show the way people think and feel. "For here?" ist a perfectly normal question in certain areas of Germany. We buy sheets for the bedroom (to use there), soap for the kitchen (to use there) and also coffee for here (to use/drink here). However, we would also get our coffee "for on the way", not "to go".

[@rudgirello]

‘For here or to go’ is standard in the US/Canadian English

[@JRJonesOD]

I did a similar thing on my last vacation. I recorded all the errors I heard. I filled two notebooks while I was still in Texas. I had no room for the errors I heard in Arkansas. I love these videos. The one thing that jars my ear is "different to"--I've always said "different from" and "differently than." But then, I've only been speaking English for 62 years; one of these days I'll master it.

[@clffreak]

"for here or to go" is fine and widely used in the US

[@video-rgb-es]

In Italian we say "biglietto di andata e ritorno". Also in Spanish it is "ida y vuelta", so there are languages that like to be redundant :)

[@soundscape26]

That was also a reason I suggested he was in Italy... many of the sentences he gave are direct translations from typical formulations used in romance languages that will sound off in English.

[@Johan-vk5yd]

” Would you like to have your meal here in the restaurant, or would you prefer me to wrap it up for you to take it with you?” I’d love to hear such language, but I suppose I’ll have to go elsewhere than fast food restaurants to get that opportunity. If you like fast food, bare bone fast and furious grammar obvously is what comes with it!

[@barbaralore3924]

In french too: aller-retour

[@nana6510]

@@barbaralore3924 Here in Austria - in the old days - they used "tour-retour".

[@thomasjonsson2766]

Swedish: tur/retur.

[@markquee1213]

Hi Gideon, thank you so much for running this channel. Your videos are interesting and entertaining and, if I dare say, you're the most sympathetic and best English teacher that I've met so far. Thanks and keep it up!

[@donnar4261]

"To go and return ticket" is literally what we say in spanish, because you're buying one ticket, but two trips. You go first, and then return, you pay both. If you order a return ticket, that means that you have previously bought a ticket to go, or you're going on a different mean of transport and you just want to buy a ticket to return

[@PanglossDr]

Allez et retour in French.

[@polyanthajones8168]

@@PanglossDr it's also "hin und zurück" in German :)

[@PanglossDr]

@@polyanthajones8168 genau

[@vojtechpilar5809]

I can't believe this!!!! I've been working as a barista for more than 3 years now and I think that I have always said ''is it for here or to go?''. No wonder people always seem to strugle to understand me. It's almost like they can't hear me properly because this is the very things I need to ask. Now I know what the problem has been the whole time!!! Thank you!!! Starting tomorrow, I'm fixing this!

[@marialazana4862]

Excellent work teacher!! I love your sense of humour. Keep up with the good work. We need to know our mistakes on everyday English and conversation.

[@edimaraadamshaab6347]

Thank you for your videos. For EFL teachers it's really important to know the formal, coloquial an cultural uses the language. The comments are very helpful as well! Cheers from Brazil😊

[@subbuteo2]

"For here or to go?" is actually pretty common in the US. In fact it seems to be the standard there. There's also a movie by that name. Usually in the UK i hear "Eat in or take away?"

[@Johan-vk5yd]

Wow! That’s interesting! The U.S. receiving immigrants from so many cultures, might be subject to significant influence of ”bad grammar”. Would it be a bold assumption that the person asking you wether you intend to take your beverage with you, or consume it on the premises, more often than not is a ”non-native” speaker?

[@subbuteo2]

@@Johan-vk5yd No I would say it's idiomatic there

[@Johan-vk5yd]

@@subbuteo2 No conflict between the two, only time. New ways of using language is initially ”bad language” until a sufficient number of people find it OK, don’t you think? Where circulation of people is great, evolution is quicker according to that theory. Icelandic language kept its likeness to the ancient Old Norse for so long for a reason. I would think it is the relative isolation. If that is true, the opposite should also be true, don’t you think?

[@lbrtvlldr]

@@subbuteo2 I fully agree. For here or to go is the "correct" way to say that in Canada too.

[@MaggaraMarine]

@@Johan-vk5yd Or maybe it's just a fast way of saying it, so people use it? Why would it have to be influenced by "bad language"? Maybe someone just came up with that phrase and because it was so easy and fast to say, it stuck. I mean, sure, the proper way would be to say "would you like to eat your meal here", but why would anyone say that if you have an easier and faster expression for that? That's just how spoken language develops.

[@OkieDokie294]

For here or to go is the common expression here in the US. I’ve been here since 6 months sounds like the way you would say that in French, je suis ici depuis 6 mois. I think these expressions are often a result of the native language grammar rules slipping into their English. I know that the reverse is true when I try to speak a foreign language since I’m no where near fluent.

[@dmytrograbovskyi7896]

These may come in handy. big thank you, Sir!

[@edgarallanpoe1822]

Love the tree diagram on ur TS Brings me back to my studies 35 years ago

[@yelnats61]

“For here or to go” is a U.S. idiom and is fine to say for an educated speaker.

[@stevelee8539]

This! I heard native speakers say this all the time in the States.

[@crazyiguana]

Very common in the Us

[@tiagoamaral9762]

natives all say "for here"

[@CelesteL]

Would they probably be missing the action of "having"? Like: "For 'having' here (...)".

[@antlion6796]

@@stevelee8539 yup commonly used in both both the US & the UK. Also if you're Italian you can get away with saying anything... I'm guessing that he was in Italy...

[@mariasas6203]

As a grammar police, I would like to alert ⚠ about a brutal crime happened the moment 12:50 of this video: It was written "what´s does he looke like", but should be "what does he looke like" , there is NO apostrophe S here. Thank you so much for your amaizing videos. I am a fan of LetThemTalkTV.

[@nHans]

Good work 👏, officer 👮‍♀! Gideon has pleaded guilty 🔗. As punishment, he has published an apology 🙏 and correction 📜, and pinned it at the top of all other comments.

[@CELINE0355]

I m always impressed dear Gideon with your brillant lessons. Each every time, a true pleasure to revise or learn something new. Many thanks. Have a nice weekend 👍💯❤️

[@MauroPanigada]

«Before I worked in finance» looks like a direct translation from another language, like in Italian we say "prima lavoravo nella finanza", where "prima" is "before". In Italian there's something similar to English "I used to...", but it sounds "bookish": "Ero solito fare qualcosa" could translate "I used to do something".

[@ihavenoname6724]

Excellent video. It's particularly hard to correct many of these mistakes, especially when you're used to saying some phrases a certain way in your native tongue for all your life (e.g., "Is it for here?")

[@idemchenko-js]

This video is very useful because these things are rarely highlighted in the books. I remember a story when a native speaker I used to work with taught me the different between "How it looks" vs "what it looks like". A lot of people would say "How it looks like" as in "let me show you how it looks like". I would never noticed that myself if it wasn't for that guy. So, we more of this!

[@Johan-vk5yd]

Very entertaining and useful video! Thank You Gideon!

[@agneskuzminska6523]

i can understand the reasoning behind "to go and return ticket" as in Polish, my mother tongue, we have a return ticket from there to here only as i might probably already have a ticket to get there or i am getting another means of transport and i just need one to get back, there is also a return ticket that means 'a two way ticket' ie to get there and back but have only one slip of paper (one ticket)

[@impact0r]

Yup. He was out of line by calling his explanation "logical". It was't.

[@frenchimp]

@@impact0r The explanation is logical inasmuch as the English language is, that is, not much. In French we say 'Aller et retour', which is more logical - which goes to show that French is not always totally illogical. Besides, the subtitle of 'The Hobbit' is 'There and Back Again', not plain 'Back Again', which would make for a rather boring story...

[@impact0r]

@@frenchimp So according to the logic of English, the movie should be called "Hobbit: Return" 😄

[@riojari]

Gideon, though your remark on go and return is formally correct, dealing with foreigners needs making sure that you are correctly understood . In this case "return" would imply a *just return* ticket to most foreigners. So I would recommend using go and return though it is kindof "international English" . In German it is "Hin- und zurück", in Spanish ida i vuelta. It is not Rückfahrticket or just vuelta. It is possible that time will change this use in English. Also, the phrase "for here" is perfectly clear to foreigners. Coffee 2go (which I heard first in 1987 in the US) is strange and the thousand questions you have to answer during the process of ordering food at a diner can be a challenge - I had never before heard the question if I wanted my eggs "sunny side up". In London, foreigners have to deal with accents, too ... Indian or African English does not sound like the restricted pronounciation German schools usually teach. Be tolerant against us humble speakers who use English as Esperanto 🤣 - especially outside Britain -

[@agneskuzminska6523]

@@riojari you are right - but what Gideon says "to go and return" is not correct English , it is "a return ticket" to go there and back- and this is what ESOL students need to understand. there are many examples when students will be translating word for word from their mother tongue and which will be extremely funny, the other day i saw "thank you from the mountain" which is a word for word translation of the Polish "thank you in advance", or we have "an elephant in a china store/warehouse/depot" or we "build castles from the sand" students simply need to be shown these differences and explained that what is correct in one language can be incorrect in another

[@rogersledz6793]

Thank you so much for uploading this video. It is helping me get through the pandemic!

[@giorgosmalfas7486]

I think you are a fantastic teacher, and extremely amusing!

[@dudablack2426]

Thanks so much Gideon, I love your classes and the examples you provide are awesome 🤩😘

[@andrewstiller1662]

I love these videos. They always make me laugh even as I learn something new. Well done!

[@LetThemTalkTV]

Love your comments

[@Toblerones]

@@LetThemTalkTV Funny but maybe you should try to speak their own language... I bet you would make a million mistakes in italian language...

[@LetThemTalkTV]

Not at all my Italian is perfect.

[@Toblerones]

@@LetThemTalkTV Non ti credo!! haha

[@crucifytheego100]

Aren't you a native speaker? Your name looks native.

[@azizxakberdiyev8912]

Lovely, much appreciated!!! ✊🏽

[@mickwill131298]

as a brazilian who grew up in London (I lived there from roughly 9 to 14) but now lives in Brazil for almost ten years since I returned...I still managed to get some of them wrong myself cause my english is so rusty now XD and I can definetly confirm that most speakers of another language tend to translate some aspects of their native language to their target language (or whatever you call it) and end up making mistakes. Its funny how I can relate to that because I've heard quite a few times some of my friends who try to speak english with me sound off, but then I realize that they translated literally an expression and for that reason ended up sounding weird. Whenever that happens I always explain to them that they should get a bit more input and they'll naturally correct themselves because they'll get a feeling for the language. Just an interesting thing I thought I'd share :)

[@tomobedlam297]

He: "Have you lived here all your life?" Me: "Not yet."

[@TROPtastic]

As a native English speaker, I was very surprised to see that "for here or to go" and "see you soon" are incorrect! I hear them all the time from native speakers in Canada, but then again we also say "I've done my homework", so perhaps our grasp on the English language isn't the best 🤔

[@Cathy-cj3dt]

I am also rather baffled by this, too. And what could possibly be wrong with having done your homework?!

[@louisevillela1920]

Yeah, what's wrong with "I've done my homework"?

[@LetThemTalkTV]

Good point. I was perhaps a little harsh with the first one but I still contend that you need a verb in the phrase "to have here" is ok but "for here" sounds strange to me but perhaps in Canada it's ok. I still maintain that "see you soon" means "until we meet again" whereas "see you then" is about an agreed time.

[@TROPtastic]

@@LetThemTalkTV "to have in/here" mirrors "to go", so that makes perfect sense to me, while "See you soon" might just be an example of regional differences in English phrases. After watching this video, I wouldn't be surprised if I visited the UK and got funny looks for using "see you soon" in the wrong context.

[@TROPtastic]

@@louisevillela1920 I remember hearing (not on LetThemTalkTV) that "I've done my homework" is considered an odd phrase for many non-Canadians because it's halfway between "I'm done with X (ex. my homework)" and "I've finished X (ex. my homework / doing my homework)". I can't give a better explanation than that since "I've done my homework" sounds completely natural to me.

[@pauldolcerocca154]

Well done Gideon ! Thank you !

[@someonefromtheworld6932]

Thanks a lot for this video. It`s very helpful

[@user-lx4ox9yx2i]

You are an incredible grammar coach. Thumbs up!

[@Tony32]

Here in Canada native speakers say "For here or to go?" all the time. Another thing North American native speakers say is: "For pick up or delivery?" I wonder if you find that incorrect. I know you said in the Monty English podcast 13 that it's always ing after a preposition and that there's only one exception.

[@depasti]

At my coffee shop they ask "are you staying with us ?" It always sounds as if they are insisting on it. If they'd say "to have in" most locals wouldn't understand...

[@arieliturbide6326]

This is muy muy útil Gideon! Gracias!

[@OceanChild75]

It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen this video, it always cracks me up!! 😂 Thanks for all the laughs, you are an unsung hero 🦸🏽‍♂️

[@adrianagalli7504]

I think you were in Italy, Italian grammar seems to be behind those mistakes. I love your videos! Great examples. Best regards from Rome😃

[@edgarpro7021]

Many thanks! Yes, of course I noticed a typo, but it did not spoil the impression of the lesson in the least.

[@user-tj1kt6pv9z]

Thank you for this brilliant video!

[@olgamarchevska]

Hi Gideon, many of the errors you name could be influenced by Spanish. In Spanish, "la gente" (the people) is singular

[@the_orange_mess]

As well as como está (alguien) :)

[@johnjustice8478]

5:33 "...people...is very nice." Definitely a singular noun, so singular verb must be considered "orl korrect."

[@Giardinetto-mf6jp]

Thank you for the lovely lesson as always! Gideon sensei, you're amazing. Love from Japan.

[@LetThemTalkTV]

Do-itashimashite. Arigato for your kind comment

[@explorer9239]

You are the best English teacher I know.

[@yenipujiasih6662]

Always feel excited whenever Gideon has uploaded a new video 🤓

[@LetThemTalkTV]

Me too whenever you write a comment

[@valenx6737]

Nice video Gideon ✌️...I do feel a bit alienated now 😄 but I've got all the questions right except for the " see you later" one.

[@josephcote6120]

The problem is that all the different phrases he mentions do not have exact definitions of how much time it means. The most natural for the situation he described would be "See you in a bit" and "See you soon" is just as good. But "See you later" is not 100% wrong, but it would be more correct for a longer time than 10 minutes. This comes with seeing how native speakers use the different phrases in different situations.

[@pascalperdu4342]

In the US they say :for here or to go They NEVER say to have in

[@antestiusleontius3774]

"People Is" instead of "People Are" is a very common grammatical error in Latin countries because the word "People" refers to a large group of persons, and the word "group" is singular. Thinking of tDepeche Mode song "people are people" might help to avoid this mistake.

[@jamescerone]

"For here" makes complete sense: you're just omitting the "eating/drinking". So the full version would be "For eating/drinking here, or to take away?" It does mix grammatical structures though, which is weird. Also, "go and return" isn't incorrect, it's just redundant... sort of. As another commenter said, as an American I would assume buying a "return ticket" would necessitate buying a separate "go ticket" in order to get to the location I bought the "return ticket" for. As for the "see you" stuff, this is all colloquial and pretty free-floating. There's nothing "grammatically incorrect" about them, but more "atypical". Though they're not even atypical, to be honest. Lastly, I you could say that "Can you tell me: Where is the station?" is correct, but atypical. Depends on if there is clear pause between "me" and "station".

[@isabelatence7035]

I liked it a lot, these are situations in our day-to-day that require the right use of grammar, I always take every tip from this amazing channel. You are a Grammar police officer, you did an excellent job.👮‍♂️👌Thanks Gideon

[@LetThemTalkTV]

Many thanks. You're free to go.

[@isabelatence7035]

@@LetThemTalkTV You have fantastic mood.😀

[@miguelmelo8735]

I find This video so Fun and INFORMATIVE ..is a good way of learning english without being boring!

[@billd9667]

Omg, you started with #2! My OCD is in overdrive!

[@blueotter5990]

Oh my Gosh! I am getting so worried about my war on illiteracy and poor grammar. I find it alienates people; but I make allowances for those who do not have English as their first languange. In fact I find that many people who learned English as a second language are much better at it than those who have just picked it up randomly from their family.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Because we L2 speakers don't simply take eat the language in childhood and have to actively learn it. Should be pretty rare to find issues with "your" and "you're" or with "there", "their" and "they're" among non-natives. Okay, the words are pronounced basically the same, but the context is completely different. If a foreign 6th grader can manage to get that right, there is no reason for adult native speakers to have issues with it. And obviously the good old "should of", which doesn't make any sense at all. The worst form of that one I've seen is "should've of" Every time I see that I have to ask, of what?

[@oldskyggen2423]

The errors you've highlighted easily reveal the country visited. They are all word for word translations from the speakers' native language, and I've been hearing them since I came here 40 years ago.

[@timoloef]

Very informative again :) At 3: I'd say round-trip. Is that ok too?

[@gr8wings]

"Can you tell me where my country lies?" Genesis (Dancing With The Moonlit Knight). Great lesson, then you very much.

[@llanosmamaniromi707]

I didn't know the difference between 'what's she like' and 'what does she look like'. This video taught me about that.

[@DevelopYourEnglishwithEmma]

Great video using real life examples! Loved it! I see some of these of often 🙊🤗

[@LetThemTalkTV]

Thank you my fellow teacher. Best wishes

[@smahier]

You´re definitely talking about Spain, where I teach English. "I´m agree with you" (estoy de acuerdo); "go-and-return" (de ida y vuelta); "the people is..." (la gente está...); since/for + time expression (also: very often Spanish speakers use the present simple and not the peresent perfect here); "the both" (los dos) are all common mistakes made by my students.

[@soniamayrink3295]

Pretty good! Thank you, very much

[@Cesarsanvicente]

Very useful video, as always..Thank you!

[@LetThemTalkTV]

Glad to hear it

[@coppermouse30]

That was hilarious!! I've never watched such an amusing video. No doubt that this is a great way to learn English.

[@StuffMadeOnDreams]

English teachers of the world, it will be difficult to surpass Giddeon in quirkiness and invention. The beginning of this video is a masterpiece of comedy.

[@industrielletechno2714]

Hey....now I'm writing ....and for sure you will write another mistakes in your black book..... It's amazing ...I learn a lot of grammar... keep this type of video. You're the best.

[@LetThemTalkTV]

Glad you found it useful.

[@EnginAtik]

I’d like buy a “return ticket” to (or from) somewhere? Instead you can buy a “round-trip” ticket to somewhere. “Frheargo” is a very specific word and a full sentence; it is atomic and it cannot be further analyzed.

[@nurzatnurdinova8455]

English is the third language for me I am studying. Thank you for this channel. It is acceptable and easy to see where I need to work more.

[@dantefernandodantezambrano7910]

You mean English is the third language You are studying.

[@tompeled6193]

Is your second Russian? I'm guessing because your username sounds Central Asian.

[@Johan-vk5yd]

I’m going a bit outside the topic of grammar here, but I came to think of my numerous stays in Italy when I was younger. In the 70’s. I scarcely met anyone able to understand, and even less so, express themselves in english. It really felt worthwile to try and learn some basic italian, under those circumstances.

[@tyrantabyss]

Luckily the situation here in Italy has improved since the '80s, as English was introduced in schools as an alternative to French - and I believe it's now mandatory, but I may be wrong. Now most people under 50 do speak English to a certain degree, even though in some areas it is still relatively common to find even younger people struggling even with basic sentences.

[@Johan-vk5yd]

@@tyrantabyss Grazie tante per tuo commentario! That’s great! I’m very happy for the italian I learnt in those days, making possible for me today to follow some odd italian YT channels too.

[@tyrantabyss]

@@Johan-vk5yd It is always good to know another language, even more so if it's Italian 😁 Continui ad esercitarsi, ne vale la pena 👍

[@harshvardhanrai8301]

I like grammer police & your humorous way of teaching.

[@tompeled6193]

4:40 I'd say "two-way ticket". 9:18 There is no error. Gideon's advice except the alternatives offered (which are correct) is completely wrong here. 11:13 Both of the expressions are completely correct. Using "before" is completely natural.

[@ericbolton9512]

Your videos is amazing 😜 lol! Might has to throw me in the brig 🤣 I'm just playing. I love your videos.

[@ariadne3288]

The barista must have been in Athens 🙂 "for here" is what one would have said in Greek ! Your videos are awesome ❤

[@AnaAFITeam]

OMG, our teacher was mean today. :)) You know, in my country, because I have some clues that you visited my country, most of the people have SOME english language knowledge from primary school or maybe high school. Have mercy of them. I personally learned English in high school and now, after decades, I have to improve my pronunciation and grammar. And I have to say, what I learned in school is completely different from how it is spoken in the UK .

[@LetThemTalkTV]

It seems you're making progress though. Thanks for your comment

[@mariambajelidze8515]

Thank you very much🥰

[@ibo5634]

Wow, hold your horses! So if in Britain I ask for a return ticket, I get... two tickets? One to go there and one to go back? But I'm driving there with a friend, I need only the return one! How do I ask for that?

[@LetThemTalkTV]

So in London you'd ask for a one-way from e.g Paris to London.

[@truckerdaddy-akajohninqueb4793]

Descriptive: I hear "for here or to go" often enough in Canada 👍🇨🇦

[@hayambangkok]

Even native speakers often say "there's so many people here". The copula "are" is too heavy. It takes so much energy to pronounce it. I think "are" will soon become extinct. 😂😂😂

[@anwalt693]

I'm a careful speaker of American English and widely traveled abroad, including considerable time working for UK firms (albeit outside the UK). In my 70+ years I've never heard anyone say "return ticket." In the US we refer to a "round-trip ticket." I notice that "round-trip ticket" appears in an entry in the Cambridge Dictionary of English online with both native-speaker recordings of both US and UK pronunciation, and without any reference to it as "American English." Before seeing this video I would have assumed a "return ticket" was a one-way ticket to the person's original location.

[@gabrielepoggi1079]

I found this video hilarious, good job!

[@EvilEelofSteel]

I have a couple of friends from GB, NZ AND Scotland and they basically agree on this: Don't try too hard to speak a 100% correct english, everybody will hear you're a foreigner and they'll forgive your mistakes ... it is way more important for them that I speak fluently and don't stutter around trying to find the adequate grammar. My experience.

[@NickDixon]

Yes, the point of language is to make yourself understood. If you can be understood, most people will forgive the mistakes or even find them endearing.

[@EvilEelofSteel]

@@NickDixon Nothing's endearing with a german accent :D

[@positiveandstrong]

Hello Gideon, could you talk about some of the english expressions used in Line of Duty? I find them interesting, but some are unclear to non-native.

[@ironbridgeconsultancy]

Thank you and nice t-shirt

[@bookmouse2719]

Ha ha....he said "See you later" when actually he was foretelling the future that he would be seeing you a bit later than previously expected. lol I love your videos, you are so amusing.

[@mallujishnu]

Very informative my dear teacher.....Huge fan from KERALA....India....☺😍

[@Wadokujin]

“Tell me where is Gandalf for I much desire to speak with him.”, Celeborn proclaimed. Galadriel looked like she was about to say something, but before the Lady of Lothlórien was able to speak, the silence was pierced by a loud and sonorous roar: “No!” As everybody turned their confused faces towards the direction of the utterance, they soon found out its source: it was Boromir. “No!”, he shouted once again. “''Tis not correct!” His face had swollen red with anger, the eyes open so wide that Frodo thought they looked like they were about to fall out of their sockets. “'Where' is a relative pronoun in this sentence! You must follow it with a noun or pronoun, and only then comes the 'is'!”, Boromir screamed at Celeborn. Aragorn groaned and rolled his eyes in annoyance, as if Boromir's outburst had not been the first of its kind. “Calm down, Boromir”, he hissed sternly, grabbing him by the wrist. “How can I be calm when this elf insults our language so?”, Boromir shouted while freeing himself from Aragorn's grasp. “Surely he must know the correct way to say it is 'Tell me where Gandalf is'?” With a defeated look on his face, Aragorn placed his fingers upon his forehead. “This is why we can never take you anywhere.” “He has fallen into-”, began Galadriel, before being interrupted again: “One does not simply use words wrongly!”, Boromir snarled before he stormed off, leaving the rest of the Fellowship and the elves behind to stare after him in utter perplexion as he was bellowing curses and going down the long, winding stairway which they had just ascended.

[@uffa00001]

In my understanding, in the statement "Tell me where Gandalf is" the word "where" is a "relative adverb" and not a "relative pronoun". I think Boromir should not scream that much to Celeborn. But I might be wrong and deserve Boromir's wrath myself.

[@WallieTheRed]

Totally agree with the comment about not being able to switch off from being a teacher. I'm a high school teacher out in Vietnam and I'm constantly in teacher mode when I'm with my Viet girlfriend or friends. Much to their annoyance

[@channelnummer5493]

Dear Gideon, thanks for your supreme videos! Your sense of humour is outstanding. Where can I get your cute GRAMMARIAN T-shirt? And if it's homemade, you wouldn't mind if I copied the design, would you? And a slightly cheeky question: could you make a long video where you just chat? About God and the world and the haircut of Boris J. and your everyday life (in random order). The longer the better! Best regards from a German grammar police trainee

[@micleh]

Very enlightening episode for me as an English teacher. I find myself in the same situation as you describe at the beginning, although for a non-native speaker it's about mistakes as well as unheard-of phrases. I jot them down digitally and whenever I have a bunch of them, I'll make a quiz for my students. That's how I "make something from it". By the way, at 13:24 you say "in future". Would "in the future" sound strange to you? Americans would say "in the future", wouldn't they?

[@susanwhite7474]

Yes. "In future" reads as grammatically incorrect in the US

[@pasixty6510]

Easy, this one. Nearly 10 out of 10. I only didn’t know that it’s 'to have IN' instead of 'to have HERE'. In case I get arrested by the grammar police, I hope, they will grant me mitigating circumstances…

[@LetThemTalkTV]

"have here" is ok but not "for here" So 10 out of 10

[@aram5642]

I would be curious to hear your opinion about the stress misplacement type of errors. Such as when someone says 'response or ca'tegory or super'fluous. How do you perceive those? Are you still able to understand the meaning, or do you stumble upon hearing it?

[@jamescerone]

Oh man... this drives me nuts when native speakers use weird stresses. A friends mom used to say "chinese FOOD" instead of "CHINESE food" and it drove me up the wall

[@ivandemiguel8607]

Spanish speaker here, we use accents and clear rules in Spanish. When I was learning English it took me a while to discover how things were pronounced in terms of stress

[@lucmanzoni6265]

It seems that the people you were talking to are Italians, and it makes perfect sense since they were simply translating Italian into English. I deal with the opposite issue, and the results are the same. English native speakers make the same mistakes when they speak neo-Latin languages.

[@micleh]

Using patterns from your own language is what most mistakes stem from. Sometimes, however, foreign patterns replace native ones, such as the one you used in your comment: "to make sense" has been literally translated into German and is now most frequently used by Germans, although there are at least two perfect German expressions, one that replaces make (Sinn "ergeben") and one that is an adjective ("sinnvoll").

[@shutapp9958]

Io sono fome 😃

[@frofa2954]

@@micleh "Sinn machen" klingt nur so als sei es wörtlich aus dem Englischen übersetzt. In Wirklichkeit ist es eine vollkommen Deutsche Konstruktion, nach dem Muster "Ärger machen", "Spaß machen", "Probleme machen" etc. Daß es auch einen anderen Ausdruck "Sinn ergeben" gibt ändert daran nichts, die Konstruktion mit "machen" ist nur umgangssprachlicher.

[@micleh]

@@frofa2954 Diese Ansicht teile ich nicht ganz. Im Nachgang würde ich es aber anders formulieren. Anatol Stefanowitsch hat auf "Sprachlog" dazu einen meiner Meinung nach interessanten Artikel verfasst und versucht dort zu zeigen, dass "die Redewendung zwar vermutlich durch das Englische inspiriert ist, aber im Deutschen schon sehr viel länger existiert als üblicherweise angenommen". Für das länger existiert spricht sicherlich auch die wörtliche Anlehnung an "sententiam facere" wodurch sich Luther hat inspirieren lassen. Dass Vertreter wie Lessing und Max Frisch es benutzen, weist auch auf Letzteres hin. Insgesamt muss man aber noch bedenken, dass "Sinn machen" weder eine überall in Deutschland gebräuchliche Redewendung ist, noch in anderen deutschsprachigen Ländern, wie etwa Österreich oder die Schweiz, gebräuchlich ist, was ein Artikel aus der nzz zeigt.

[@frofa2954]

@@micleh Daß der Ausdruck in der Schweiz ungebräuchlich ist widerspricht deiner eigenen Aussage, daß Max Frisch ihn auch verwendet hat - zusammen mit Dürrenmatt sicher der bekannteste Schweizer Schriftsteller des letzten Jahrhunderts. Und einer, der schon über 30 Jahre tot ist, also seit vor dem grossen Einfluß des Englischen auf die deutsche Sprache (der maßgeblich vom Internet getragen wird).

[@alonsogalleta2276]

great video as always thank you Sir

[@LetThemTalkTV]

great comment as always

[@DavidAlvarez-he6sd]

Fantastic Channel. Greetings from Barcelona, Spain.

[@LetThemTalkTV]

Fantastic comment.

[@rudyberkvens-be]

Someone asked me: did you saw that rudy? I answered: yes, into two pieces!

[@cristachurchs7902]

Very nice Gideon at least they were trying to talk to you in your lenguage Did you try to Speak in theirs