I couldn't disagree more! redux

"I can't live without my morning coffee!"

"I can. The only time I have coffee is after a meal."

We've now already looked at how to agree with a positive or negative statement someone has just made. And we've looked at disagreeing with positive statements. Now, last but not least, we're going to look at disagreeing with negative statements.

Like disagreeing with positive statements, the key here is the emphasis you place on the word "I". By stressing the different subject pronoun, you're highlighting the contrast with the other person's opinion. We also usually follow this up with a statement of our own opinion or likes.

Of course, like the other forms we've looked at, you need to use the appropriate auxiliary: am/is/are, can/could, do/does/did, have/has/had, should, will, would, etc. Notice that you need to use the positive to establish the contrast with the original negative statement. You CANNOT use a contraction in the response.

Let's look at some examples:

"I'm not going anywhere on holiday [AmEng vacation] this year."

"I am. I'm going trekking in the Himalayas. I can't wait!"

"I haven't got any money."
"I have. Don't worry, I'll spot you some cash."

"I couldn't possibly go on a TV reality show."
"I could! I think it would be fun!"

"I've never run a marathon."

"I have. It's a lot of work and you have to train hard. But it's very satisfying to finish."

Notice that in the last example, although there is no "not/n't", the word "never" functions like a negative and so the response is in the positive.

I couldn't disagree more!

"I hate coffee!"

"I don't! I'd die without it!"

We've now already looked at how to agree with a positive or negative statement someone has just made. Today we're doing to look at disagreeing with positive statements.

The key here is the emphasis you place on the word "I". By stressing the different subject pronoun, you're highlighting the contrast with the other person's opinion. We also usually follow this up with a statement of our own opinion or likes.

Of course, like the other forms we've looked at, you need to use the appropriate auxiliary: am not/isn't/aren't, can't/couldn't, don't/doesn't/didn't, haven't/hasn't/hadn't, shouldn't, won't, wouldn't, etc. Notice that you need to use the negative to establish the contrast with the original positive statement.

Let's look at some examples:

"I'm a Man U supporter."
"I'm not!. I support Man City."

"I'd really like to try bungee jumping."
"I wouldn't! Are you crazy? You could kill yourself!"

"I've always wanted to travel to China."
"I haven't. I prefer to stay in Spain."

I couldn't agree more! redux

"I really can't stand hot weather!"

"Me, neither!"
"Neither can I!"
"I can't, either!"

Last time we looked at agreeing with a positive statement someone has just made. Today we're doing to look at agreeing with negative statements.

All three of these forms can be used in informal English to agree with a negative statement another person has just made.

Of the three, "Me, neither." (often "Me, either." in more informal English, especially in North America) is the easiest to use, as you don't have to worry about the auxiliary verb.

For "Neither ___ I." and "I ___ not/n't, either." you need to use the appropriate auxiliary: am/is/are, can/could, do/does/did, have/has/had, should, will, would, etc. Notice that with "neither" you don't need to add "not/n't" because neither already carries a negative meaning.

For example:

"I don't like U2."
"Neither do I." / "I don't, either."

"I haven't been working really hard lately."
"Neither have I." / "I haven't, either."

"I shouldn't really spend all my money on a Caribbean cruise."
"Neither should I." / "I shouldn't, either."

"I didn't do anything Saturday night."
"Neither did I." / "I didn't, either."


These forms can also be used for other people than yourself. Let's adapt the last example:

"We didn't do anything Saturday night."
"Neither did we." / "We didn't, either."

"I'm not doing anything on Saturday night."
"Neither is Mary." / "Mary isn't, either."

I couldn't agree more!

"I think pizza is the best food on earth!"

"Me, too!"
"So do I!"
"I do, too!"

All three of these forms can be used in informal English to agree with a positive statement another person has just made.

Of the three, "Me, too." is the easiest to use, as you don't have to worry about the auxiliary verb.

For "So ___ I." and "I ___, too." you need to use the appropriate auxiliary: am/is/are, can/could, do/does/did, have/has/had, should, will, would, etc. Notice that we do NOT use a contract of the auxiliary in the answer.

For example:

"I'm a big U2 fan."
"So am I." / "I am, too."

"I've been working really hard lately."
"So have I." / "I have, too."

"I should really do an intensive English course."
"So should I." / "I should, too."

"I went to the cinema [AmEng the movies] on Saturday"
"So did I." / "I did, too."

You'll notice than in this last example, because there is no auxiliary verb in the original statement, you need to use "do" as your auxiliary, as in the pizza example above. Because the original statement was in the past, we use "did".

These forms can also be used for other people than yourself. Let's adapt the last example:

"We went to the cinema [AmEng the movies] on Saturday"
"So did we." / "We did, too."

"I want to go to the cinema [AmEng the movies] on Saturday"
"So does Mary." / "Mary does, too."

Sow sow

One of the joys (!?!?) of English is the fact that some words can have the same exact spelling and completely different meanings. Add this to the fact that these homonyms might also have a different pronunciation, and it's tons [BrEng tonnes] of fun!

Today we're going to look at the homonym 'sow', which is found in two common idiomatic expressions.

The verb sow means to put seeds in or on the ground so that plants will grow. This word is pronounced the same as 'so'.

The expression to sow your wild oats is used especially of young men to describe the period when they are very active and not a little irresponsible, especially when it comes to sex and relationships.

What advice would you give the young man who asks: 'Should I dump my girlfriend so I can "sow my wild oats"?'

Another expression using sow has biblical origins, possibly Job 4:8: As ye sow, so shall ye reap*, worded in more modern language as You reap what you sow. The idea is simple: how you treat others will affect how others treat you.

The noun sow means a female pig. This word rhymes with 'cow'.

The expression 'You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear' means you can't take something bad and make it into something good.

Do you agree that the PC industry shows you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear?

*reap means harvest or cut and collect grain

Hey presto!

I have a friend of a friend who's a magician. He's not British, so he probably wouldn't say "Hey presto!" when he pulls a rabbit out of his hat, but he might say "Ta da!", for example.

He's really an all around performer: he juggles (like in the picture), tells jokes and does card tricks. He waves his magic wand (below) to make things appear and disappear with an "Abracadabra" and other magic words. He's even been known to saw a woman in half and pronounce a magic spell or incantation from time to time.

He performs in all sorts of places and fortunately makes money doing it so he doesn't have to busk any more.

Listening practice

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