| 1 |
it's not easy to take responsibility for your mistakes. it's easier to blame someone else. |
| 2 |
family members take each other for granted. |
| 3 |
when people are angry about sth they often take it out on others. |
| 4 |
you shouldn't take what you read on the internet at face value. always take the time to check out the facts. |
| 5 |
more people should take an interest in local politics. |
| 6 |
most teenagers don't take any notice of what their parents say. |
| 7 |
it's wrong to take sides in family arguments. |
| 8 |
we often take advantage of other people's generosity. |
| 9 |
most people i know don't take life too seriously. |
| 10 |
people who won't take no for an answer are very annoying. |
| 11 |
before reading Watching the English by Kate Fox, i had never really thought about how the English appear to other cultures. |
| 12 |
despite feeling a little defensive at times, i was genuinely laughing |
| 13 |
out loud as i read this highly entertaining book. |
| 14 |
it looks at how the English behave and uncovers the hidden social rules that mystify foreign visitors. |
| 15 |
for example, how we behave on public transport. |
| 16 |
it's ok to ask questions like "is this train going to Victoria?" |
| 17 |
but otherwise talking to strangers on trains just isn't done. |
| 18 |
in fact it's absolutely normal for commuters to spend years travelling on the same train together without exchanging a single word. |
| 19 |
despite this, people standing at a bus stop will often feel a need to break an uncomfortable silence by talking about the weather. |
| 20 |
but here again potential embarrassment awaits the unsuspecting visitor. |
| 21 |
'weather-speak' usually starts with a question which invites the other person into a conversation: "Chilly, isn't it?" |
| 22 |
but the hidden rule here is we have to agree. |
| 23 |
disagreeing could cause offence and the conversation would probably come to a sudden end. |
| 24 |
the only way of stating our true feelings is first to agree - "Yes, it is, isn't it". |
| 25 |
and then we can add a personal comment - "but i quite like this kind of weather". |
| 26 |
fox also looks at topics of conversation which the English aren't comfortable with. |
| 27 |
for example, anyone asking personal questions may meet with some resistance. |
| 28 |
we are often uncomfortable with questions such as "How old are you?" or "Are you married?" |
| 29 |
we also avoid talking about money. |
| 30 |
we dislike other people enquiring about what we earn or what we paid for sth - that's very personal information. |
| 31 |
once i'd finished reading Watching the English, i tried to view my own culture more objectively. |
| 32 |
it was fascinating. |
| 33 |
i would certainly agree with Kate Fox's conclusion that in spite of appearing cold and unfriendly (and often being told that we are) the English are, in fact, just very private people. |
| 34 |
the section of Kate Fox's book explaining the rules of queuing is interesting and the English obey these rules without thinking about it. |
| 35 |
Jumping a queue will certainly annoy those people queuing properly. |
| 36 |
however, despite feeling intense anger towards the queue-jumper, the English will often say nothing -- staring angrily is more their style. |
| 37 |
then there are the rules for saying please and thank you. |
| 38 |
the English thank bus drivers, taxi drivers, anyone giving them a service. |
| 39 |
in fact the English spend a lot of time saying please and thank you. |
| 40 |
so others don't feel they're being taken for granted. |
| 41 |
thay hate not being thanked if they think they deserve it. |
| 42 |
not saying thank you will often cause an English person to sarcastically shout out, "you're welcome!". |
| 43 |
let's take advantage of the weather. |
| 44 |
i try not to take sides when friends argue. |
| 45 |
i sometimes take my health for granted. |
| 46 |
we need to take the time to do this properly. |
| 47 |
she always takes responsibility for her mistakes. |
| 48 |
don't take any notice of him, he's just jealous. |
| 49 |
when she's upset she takes it out on me. |
| 50 |
she can't take no for an answer. |
| 51 |
don't take everything at face value. |
| 52 |
you mustn't take what he says too seriously. |
| 53 |
being punctual is extremely important and i hate turning up late for anything. |
| 54 |
i also really hate people keep me waiting for ages. |
| 55 |
so yesterday morning was really frustrating. |
| 56 |
i was being interviewed for a job, so i decided to leave home early to avoid getting caught in the rush hour. |
| 57 |
despite allowing an extra two hours for the journey, i thought i was going to be late because lots of trains were cancelled. |
| 58 |
in the end, i managed to get there on time. |
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