There's a car coming.

[Winwin2011]

Look out! There's a car coming.

Is it unnatural to leave out the "coming" in the above context?

Thanks.

 

[Raymott]

Look out! There's a car coming.

Is it unnatural to leave out the "coming" in the above context?

Thanks.

Yes, that would sound strange, but in the context you've given, it would be functional. Saving someone's life is more important than perfect grammar.

 

[emsr2d2]

"There's a car!" could just mean "I can see a car" or "There is a car somewhere in sight".
The point of "There's a car coming" is that it explains that the car is moving in the direction of the listener, and suggests that there is some urgency for the listener to get out of the way.

 

[Winwin2011]

"There's a car!" could just mean "I can see a car" or "There is a car somewhere in sight".
The point of "There's a car coming" is that it explains that the car is moving in the direction of the listener, and suggests that there is some urgency for the listener to get out of the way.

Thanks, ems and Raymott.

In order to save someone's life (a car moving very fast in the direction of a listener), I think "There's a car coming" is too wordy. How do native speakers remind someone that a car is moving very fast in the direction of a listener? In our region, we can just say "Hey" and point to the car. Please note that I just want to know the western culture.

Thanks.

 

[emsr2d2]

We don't have a standard phrase for alerting someone to the fact that they're about to be run over! Personally, I would probably yell "Car!" or "No!" and grab the person.

 

[5jj]

We don't have a standard phrase for alerting someone to the fact that they're about to be run over!

I'd be more concerned with pushing/pulling someone to safety than with wondering about the appropriateness of any words I might utter. It's quite likely that any word(s) I did actually utter would offend my maiden aunt if she happened to be in the vicinity.

 

[Winwin2011]

Thanks, 5jj and ems.

Sometimes we saw some pedestrians crossing the road from the opposite side, they didn't see that there was a car coming. In that case, we couldn't grap or pull the people to safety. Even if the people standing beside us, in our region we wouldn't grap or pull them in order to avoid misunderstandings especially between different genders.

 

[Barb_D]

Look out! (and point)
Car! (and point)

Honestly, if I were about to get hit by a car, the last thing I would worry about is whether someone of the opposite gender put his hands on me to save my life.

 

[Route21]

Honestly, if I were about to get hit by a car, the last thing I would worry about is whether someone of the opposite gender put his hands on me to save my life.

Unfortunately that isn't true in all cultures. A male rescuer, having just saved a woman's life, could find themselves in serious trouble with the law for doing so in certain countries.

Regards
R21

 

[emsr2d2]

Unfortunately that isn't true in all cultures. A male rescuer, having just saved a woman's life, could find themselves in serious trouble with the law for doing so in certain countries.

Regards
R21

Which just goes to prove that one Mr Dickens was quite right - "The law is an ass".

 

[Tdol]

Or maybe Mr Chapman. Or not. ;-)