I'm just checking in.

[kadioguy]

[From a TOEIC test]

1. Does "I'm just checking in" here mean "I'm just going to checking in" (not "I'm just in the process of 'checking in'")?

2. Man: So I decided to shampoo it. But then I had to go down and get the steam-cleaning machine and bring it up here.

I assume that at this moment he has come back from downstair with the steam-cleaning machine, and that he is going to shampoo the carpet. Is that right?

 

[5jj]

1. Does "I'm just checking in" here mean "I'm just going to checking in" (not "I'm just in the process of 'checking in'")?

He is checking in (in the sense of establishing contact with Barry) at the moment of speaking.

2. Man: So I decided to shampoo it. But then I had to go down and get the steam-cleaning machine and bring it up here.

I assume that at this moment he has come back from downstair with the steam-cleaning machine, and that he is going to shampoo the carpet. Is that right?

Not necessarily at this moment. It could have been a rew minutes earlier.

 

[kadioguy]

She is checking in (in the sense of establishing contact with Barry) at the moment of speaking.

No necessarily at this moment. It could have been a few minutes earlier.

Thank you and I have made two minor modifications.

 

[emsr2d2]

Thank you and I have made two minor modifications.

5jj had no way of knowing that one of the speakers was female. We're given just one name - Barry (a man). I've only just noticed that the two speakers are referred to as "M" and "W". I'm very confused. One of them should be "B" (Barry). I sincerely hope they're not using those two letters to mean "Man" and "Woman"!

 

[jutfrank]

I sincerely hope they're not using those two letters to mean "Man" and "Woman"!

Why not? (They are.)

 

[emsr2d2]

Why not? (They are.)

I was being slightly sarcastic because the possibility that that's what they meant only occurred to me as I reached the end of my response. I'd spent a good few minutes already wondering how on earth those could be their initials, when we knew one of them was called Barry!

 

[jutfrank]

Perhaps there's a whole backstory where the woman, Wilma, has a terrible memory for names and keeps calling her colleague Mike 'Barry'.

(On another observation-related point, I've just noticed how kadioguy's profile pic is now terribly skew-whiff. It's making me rather seasick!)

 

[kadioguy]

5jj had no way of knowing that one of the speakers was female. We're given just one name - Barry (a man). I've only just noticed that the two speakers are referred to as "M" and "W". I'm very confused. One of them should be "B" (Barry). I sincerely hope they're not using those two letters to mean "Man" and "Woman"!

Hi emsr2d2,
That is a transcript (an answer key) of a TOEIC listening test. In the conversation you will just hear a woman's voice and a man's voice. That's why they marked them as "W" and "M", I think.

PS - As an examinee, you will only see this on your exam sheet.

(On another observation-related point, I've just noticed how kadioguy's profile pic is now terribly skew-whiff. It's making me rather seasick!)

It's from the Windows XP wallpaper.