[General] an ominous thing to say

[Silverobama]

Hi.

I don’t know where my little cousin learned it but he did say “To hell with you” to his friend the other day when I met him on the streets in English! Later, he told me he watched a movie. I then said to him:

That’s an ominous thing to say.

I wonder if my sentence is natural.

 

[Yankee]

Hi.

I don’t know where my little cousin learned it but he did say “To hell with you” in English to his friend the other day when I met him on the streets[STRIKE] in English[/STRIKE]! Later, he told me he watched a movie. I then said to him:

That’s an ominous thing to say.

I wonder if my sentence is natural.

Would your "little cousin" understand "ominous" ? I'd just tell him, "Don't ever say that again to anyone!"

 

[J&K Tutoring]

Hi.

I don’t know where my little cousin learned it but he did say “To hell with you” to his friend the other day when I met him on the streets in English! Later, he told me he watched a movie. I then said to him:

That’s an ominous thing to say.

I wonder if my sentence is natural.

I guess it could be, if you thought he actually had the power to send his friend to hell.

Of course that is ridiculous, and no reasonable person would think such a thing. You might have said, 'That's not the kind of thing a good boy would say!' But that would have the effect of making it all the more attractive to him!

My better advice to you is to ask your little cousin if he understands the meaning of what he said. Most likely he has an incomplete understanding. You could teach him what that actually means in a very matter-of-fact way, something like, "Oh, Hell is a place that superstitious people believe in. It's supposedly a bad place where bad people go when they die." That should take away the 'glamour' of it and might just get him to drop it from his vocabulary.

It's sad, but I see this kind of thing a lot. Occasionally, one of my elementary-school students will drop an "Oh my God" as an expression of shock and I have to be quite stern with them without making it seem like a thing that will make them seem sophisticated to their friends.

 

[Yankee]

"It's sad, but I see this kind of thing a lot. Occasionally, one of my elementary-school students will drop an "Oh my God" as an expression of shock and I have to be quite stern with them without making it seem like a thing that will make them seem
(un?) sophisticated to their friends."


Good luck with that J&K, don't forget the adults.
​

 

[GoesStation]

It's sad, but I see this kind of thing a lot. Occasionally, one of my elementary-school students will drop an "Oh my God" as an expression of shock and I have to be quite stern with them without making it seem like a thing that will make them seem sophisticated to their friends.

You would have had to admonish me repeatedly. I'm sure I picked up that expression from a very early age. I'm retired now and still can't recall that anyone has expressed discomfort over my saying it — though I have consciously suppressed it occasionally since moving back to the American Bible belt.

 

[emsr2d2]

"Oh my god" is probably the most common expression of shock, surprise, disappointment, sympathy (and plenty of other things) in BrE. I've probably been saying it since I was old enough to speak. I have only once come across someone with an objection to it - an evangelical Christian who came to work in my old office. She made a formal complaint, saying that all her colleagues were guilty of blasphemy on a daily basis. Her complaint was not upheld, on the basis that it is such a common phrase that it has, for almost everyone, no religious connotation at all and, therefore, could not reasonably be found to cause offence.

 

[Glizdka]

"Oh my god" is probably the most common expression of shock, surprise, disappointment, sympathy (and plenty of other things) in BrE...it is such a common phrase that it has, for almost everyone, no religious connotation at all and, therefore, could not reasonably be found to cause offence.

Not a teacher, just curious
------
Could it be that some people find it offensive because for (too) many people once religious "OMG" has become just a form of euphemism for certain curse words used in the same manner?

 

[jutfrank]

I have only once come across someone with an objection to it - an evangelical Christian who came to work in my old office. She made a formal complaint, saying that all her colleagues were guilty of blasphemy on a daily basis. Her complaint was not upheld, on the basis that it is such a common phrase that it has, for almost everyone, no religious connotation at all and, therefore, could not reasonably be found to cause offence.

I've never understood how saying Oh, my God can be considered blasphemous. It may not be said in a way that is genuinely reverential, but it's not like it's saying anything bad about God, or being disrespectful at all.

I wonder what those who would be offended consider wrong with it?

 

[emsr2d2]

My colleague said that it was "taking God's name in vain" and therefore broke one of the ten commandments.

 

[jutfrank]

My colleague said that it was "taking God's name in vain" and therefore broke one of the ten commandments.

I don't think your colleague had got the point of the particular commandment, then!

 

[GoesStation]

Not a teacher, just curious
------
Could it be that some people find it offensive because for (too) many people once religious "OMG" has become just a form of euphemism for certain curse words used in the same manner?

I don't think so. People who take offense are objecting to having their god's name taken in vain in their presence.

 

[GoesStation]

I don't think your colleague had got the point of the particular commandment, then!

I worked with a religious young man who didn't like us to say "hell" in front of him. He didn't answer when a less-tactful co-worker pointed out that God's name wasn't "hell".

 

[jutfrank]

I worked with a religious young man who didn't like us to say "hell" in front of him. He didn't answer when a less-tactful co-worker pointed out that God's name wasn't "hell".

Right. But then God's name isn't really 'God', either, it's Yahweh. At least, it was to the ancient writers of Exodus.

Much of the attitude about blasphemy seems to me to be nothing more than people simply spouting what they have been told by their parents/elders to be wrong. There doesn't seem to be much thought as to what blasphemy, or the third commandment, really means.

 

[Silverobama]

Would your "little cousin" understand "ominous" ?

He would or would not understand. You know, kids nowadays are very premature. I notice that little girls around me, like my students, are more mature than their peers in the US.

 

[Silverobama]

Hi JK,

I agree with you. I notice that you're in China, no wonder you've met kids like my cousins. I've been teaching kids English for a few years. A few years ago, a fifth grader said "F**k" and that really took me aback. I then learned that he picked up the word in some English movies. Yes, electronic devices have become a large part of kids' life here. I've been thousand times that young children play cell phone or some other devices here. It's effortless for them to learn words and phrases like that.

 

[Silverobama]

Speaking of "OMG". I think it's so common that everyone uses it and therefore it's no longer religilon-related.

There are two expressions in my teaching material: "Oh, my Gosh" and "F**k off". I want my students to know what they mean and they don't necessarily need to use them. Sometimes it's okay to pick up a word without using it because there are many "traps" if you use it. "F**k off" is okay for people who follow you for 2 minutes, asking you to attend the demonstration class of their language school, or someone you meet on the street, holding you arms saying "Hey, just take a look at our beauty salon". Right here, so true and so common to be seen. But never okay to elderly people, new friends, parents, etc. "Oh my Gosh" for me, an euphemistic way to say "Oh my God".

When I was at college, my spoken English teacher, who's a native speaker said "Oh, shoot", "dammit", "Oh darn" are good ways to replace "shit", "f**k", "damn it".

 

[Silverobama]

Dear native speakers.

I have two last questions about the OP:

a) That's an ominous thing to say.

I think this sentence is natural, am I right? b) If so, what kind of things I say is "ominous thing to say"?

 

[GoesStation]

Dear native speakers.

I have two last questions about the OP:

a) That's an ominous thing to say.

I think this sentence is natural, am I right? b) If so, what kind of things I say is "ominous thing to say"?

A native speaker would be unlikely to say it.

 

[Rover_KE]

It's not natural.

I'd say 'offensive' or 'objectionable' rather than 'ominous'.

Click here to see 'ominous' used by native speakers in many contexts.

***

You know, kids nowadays are very [STRIKE]premature[/STRIKE] precocious.

 

[jutfrank]

ominous is not the right word at all. There appears to be no connection to omens in any way.