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.)