Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[luciaC]

1. What does mothering mean?
2. What does this sentence mean? Don't put off living. Can you give me a context?

3. I am curious to know that why Americans don't put their slippers outside the house since there is always carpet inside.

4. Can you bargain in a yard sale? How can I say?



Thanks in advamce.
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Mimi

[helen1]

Hi Lucia

1. We usually use the term 'mothering' to say a person (usually a woman) is treating someone like a child or an older child like a young child - so for example if a woman does everything for her husband - we might say she's mothering him. - In other words it's behaving like a mother.

2. 'Don't put off living' - would be said to someone who seems to be bored with their life but doesn't do anything about it (perhaps a little scared of doing something different)

It means go out and have some fun.... or do something you want to do...
An extreme example:
So if I have a friend who does nothing except work, and watch television -but has always wanted to climb a mountain - I'd say don't put off life - go and do it.

3. I'm not American but I guess it's a cultural thing - and slippers are meant to be worn inside the house whereas shoes are worn outside.

4. If American yardsales are anything like British Car Boot sales - yes you can. - We'd call it bartering not bargaining. You can say for example:
I bought these fantastic rollerblades at the boot sale - he wanted �20 but I bartered with him and got them for �7.00

[bud]

at the boot sale - I like it, but in the US it would sound like a special sale at the shoe store.

In the US, I think we're much more likely to use "to bargain" than "to barter."

Also in the US, I think we're afraid to leave our shoes outside because someone will steal them... just kidding... sort of.

[helen1]

We definitely wouldn't use bargaining - or at least in my neck of the woods you wouldn't - it's not a verb here - you can have a bargain but you can't bargain -

We would also use haggling - which I really like - I haggled with him & got them for �7.00

[bud]

Ah, yes. We also haggle.