68일차. ♣ Unit 5. Awkward situations - LESSON 2. DEALING WITH AWKWARD QUESTIONS - [Shortened sentences]

68일차. ♣ Unit 5. Awkward situations - LESSON 2. DEALING WITH AWKWARD QUESTIONS - [Shortened sentences]

 

※ Shortened sentences /ˈʃɔːrtn/

*In informal conversation, native speakers often shorten their sentences. This can be done by leaving out non-essential words, or by joining words together. In these examples, notice the words that have been omitted, and the words that have been joined together.

A: Been here long?    (Have you been here long?)

B: Couple hours.         (A couple of hours.)

 

A: Ford?  (Is your car a Ford?)

B: Escort.  (Yes, it's a Ford Escort.)

 

 

*Americans often use the simple past tense when present perfect would be grammatically more correct. This is another kind of sentence shortening.

A: You eat yet?   (Did you eat yet? = Have you eaten yet?)

B: Nope.   (No, not yet.)