- American Culture
- English Expressions
- English Fluency
- AEE 253: Update Your English! 7 Ways to Sound More Natural When You Greet People in English
January 13, 2015
Or do you sound like a textbook when you speak?
Today, get 7 tricks to update your English and sound more natural by using real talk instead of textbook talk!
Speaking natural-sounding Englishcan bedifficult when you only work with textbooks. While what your textbook says may be technically correct, some of the phrases might sound outdated or odd to native ears.
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Here are 7 ways your textbook might tell you how to say something, as well as the ways anative English speaker wouldreally say it.
- Textbook: Hello.
- Real: Hi!, Hey!,or What’s up?
- Textbook: Are you having a good day?
- Real: Having a good day?
- Textbook: How are you?, How do you do?
- Real: How’s it going?, How you doin’?, or How’ve you been?
- Textbook: I’m fine, thanks.
- Real: Doin’ well., or Not bad.
- Textbook: What are your hobbies?
- Real: What do you like to do?,What are you into?, or What do you do for fun?
- Textbook: I wish to (do something).
- Real: I wanna (do something), orI’d like to (do something).
- Textbook: See you.
- Real: See ya., Take care., orBye.
Do you speak textbook English?
Do you know any other differences between what your textbook says and how native English-speakers speak?
Let us know in the comments section below!