Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[stevenukd]

Dear Teachers,

1.- �take it easy!� mean �slow down!�, right?
- �ease up!� mean �calm down!� , right?
-�hold it!�, �hang on!� mean �wait a minute!�, right?

2.- Could you please give me a ride home?
-Could you please drive me / take me home?
-Are these natural?

3.� Don�t be so childish!
- Don�t be so childish like that!
- Which sentence is more natural?

4. He has such a beautiful, childish / childlike smile.
- Which do you choose? Childish or childlike?

5. He was offered the job ( in spite of / even though) his qualifications were poor.
- Which do you choose? In spite of or even though?

Thanks a lot to Teachers,

Stevenukd

[Afroz]

1. "Take it easy!" can mean "slow down". It can also mean "relax". For example, if you see someone working really hard, you can tell them to "take it easy". Or, if someone is really angry, you can tell them to "take it easy".
"Ease up", "hold on" and "hang on" generally have the meanings that you mentioned.

2. Yes, they are natural.

3. "Don't be so childish" is more natural.

4. Childish and childlike are both fine.

5. "even though" is right in this sentence.
To use "in spite of", you would have to change the sentence to:
"He was offered the job in spite of his qualifications being poor."

Afroz.
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[LucentShade]

#4 is an interesting question. As a general rule, "childish" refers to the bad/negative qualities of being a child; "childlike" refers to the good/positive qualities of being a child.

So, if I say, "She has a childish personality," it means that she's immature, rude, ignorant, or annoying. However, if I say, "She has a childlike personality," it means that she's energetic, playful, curious, and not bitter or cynical like adults.

How strange, these two words (childish/childlike) only differ by an adjective-type suffix, but they have opposite meanings.

[sissi01]

LucentShade's explaination is interesting.