Common Problems

Hey everyone! This is Alison from HJ English. Today I want to talk about some of the common problems I noticed in this week's episode of "English Unraveled: The Basic". This week, we talked about good topics of conversation with native English speakers. It was very interesting for me, because I got to learn about popular topics of conversation among Chinese people too!

Some of you decided to start the conversation by asking about cultural differences. This is a great conversation topic, because you can begin by sharing something about your own culture. This way, both of you can learn from the conversation.

Many of you started your conversations with compliments like "I really like your haircut—where did you get it?" Or "I've been looking for a bag like that—where did you buy it?" This is a great conversation starter, but be careful not to sound like you're comparing yourself to them. For example, if you say "you're a much better singer than I am; how can I improve?" Or "your bag is nicer than mine—where did you get it?" This may make people feel uncomfortable. Westerners do not talk about comparisons very often, because it can be considered impolite. So even if you use the comparison in a compliment, it may make a westerner feel awkward about receiving the compliment. In general, people do not like to feel like they are being compared to someone else.

Also, some of the questions were a bit too general. For example: "I'm traveling to France; do you have any suggestions?" Or "I want to buy a jacket on eBay; do you have any suggestions?" Try to ask about more specific things, like "I'm going to France next month and I heard there are some excellent towns to visit outside of Paris—do you know of any?" Or "I want to buy a jacket on eBay, but I'm afraid of making a bad purchase. Have you ever bought anything on eBay?

Finally, let's talk about some pronunciation. The word "Italian" emphasizes the second syllable. To make this vowel sound, the mouth has to open wide so that the "ah" sound can be stretched out.
["Italian Italian Italian"]
The word "advertisement" is tricky, because the pronunciation is different between British English and American English. The British pronunciation emphasizes the second syllable and softens the R-sound.
["Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement"]
However, the American pronunciation emphasizes the first syllable.
["Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement"]

Practice saying the word "Italian" and the word "advertisement" in both British and American English, but in the future, remember that it's best to choose one accent and stick with it.