I would like to ask native speakers of English the following thing.
There is more to mastering a language than learning its vocabulary and grammar. You also need to understand a wide variety of speech situations; you may also find that the rules given in a textbook are not a reliable guide to the way language is used in practice. Rules are OK, as far as they go, but sometimes they may not go very far.
Each speech community has definite ideas about the situations in which various topics can be introduced, particular words employed or even pronounced, and certain tones of voice used. Members of the American speech community know that a formal speech situation, such as a public address, requires a different set of rules than an exchange of jokes. But the problem of when to say how and what is usually much more subtle than that.
#1 particular words employed or even pronounced, and certain tones of voice used.
I think “can be” is omitted in the part of a sentence above as particular words (can be) employed or even pronounced, and certain tones of voice (can be) used.
#2 What is a public address in this case? I have consulted some dictionaries and they said it means
a kind of speaker system which is used to announce publicly, PA. But I think it means here a formal speech done publicly, public speech. What does it mean?
#3 the problem of when to say how and what is usually much more subtle than that.
Subject of the sentence is “the problem of when to say how and what,” “is” is the verb and “subtle” is the complement. “how and what” is the object of the to-infinitive say. Is it correct?
#4 What does that stand for?
Is it an exchange of jokes or the grammatical rule?
Thank you very much.
There is more to mastering a language than learning its vocabulary and grammar. You also need to understand a wide variety of speech situations; you may also find that the rules given in a textbook are not a reliable guide to the way language is used in practice. Rules are OK, as far as they go, but sometimes they may not go very far.
Each speech community has definite ideas about the situations in which various topics can be introduced, particular words employed or even pronounced, and certain tones of voice used. Members of the American speech community know that a formal speech situation, such as a public address, requires a different set of rules than an exchange of jokes. But the problem of when to say how and what is usually much more subtle than that.
#1 particular words employed or even pronounced, and certain tones of voice used.
I think “can be” is omitted in the part of a sentence above as particular words (can be) employed or even pronounced, and certain tones of voice (can be) used.
#2 What is a public address in this case? I have consulted some dictionaries and they said it means
a kind of speaker system which is used to announce publicly, PA. But I think it means here a formal speech done publicly, public speech. What does it mean?
#3 the problem of when to say how and what is usually much more subtle than that.
Subject of the sentence is “the problem of when to say how and what,” “is” is the verb and “subtle” is the complement. “how and what” is the object of the to-infinitive say. Is it correct?
#4 What does that stand for?
Is it an exchange of jokes or the grammatical rule?
Thank you very much.