'is' vs 'has been'

[Offroad]

Dear teachers...

Do these sentences read well?

Hey man, have you got a minute? There is some real bad stuff happening around the office lately.

Hey man, have you got a minute? There has been some real bad stuff happening around the office lately.

Hey man, have you got a minute? Some real bad stuff has happened around the office lately.

Thanks

 

[Tdol]

Yes, but the first is very colloquial, bordering on non-standard, to me- the perfect forms sound better there. Others may view it differently, and it may be a BrE thing.

 

[jamiep]

Yes, but the first is very colloquial, bordering on non-standard, to me- the perfect forms sound better there. Others may view it differently, and it may be a BrE thing.

I'd agree with this but add that in my opinion "real" should be "really" since it is an adverb modifying the adjective "bad."

 

[Offroad]

I'd agree with this but add that in my opinion "real" should be "really" since it is an adverb modifying the adjective "bad."

Yes, the first sentence is the original, the other ones are attempts of correction. Of course, I missed the 'really' thing.;-)

 

[5jj]

Of course, I missed the 'really' thing.

Given that you started, "Hey man," this is an informal utterance, and the 'real bad' is fine. It is, of course, incorrect in standard English.

 

[Barb_D]

I agree. Who was "Hey, man" addressed to?

 

[Offroad]

I agree. Who was "Hey, man" addressed to?

No one. This a sentence I quoted from one of my English textbooks. I found it odd and wanted to know if I was right, it turns out it's just informal.

 

[5jj]

No one. This a sentence I quoted from one of my English textbooks. I found it odd and wanted to know if I was right, it turns out it's just informal.

I'd be suspicious of any textbook I encountered that gave a sentence beginning, "Hey, man" - unless of course, it was clear from context/co-text that it was produced in an informal setting.

I am a past-my-sell-by-date old f**t who takes umbrage when addressed as 'man' or, even worse, 'dude'. I accept that younger people, normally, mean no disrespect when they use such terms but I don't like it! I have no desire at all to be addressed as 'sir', and I have long learnt to live with the fact that people I do not know (and have no wish to know) use my first name as though we have been exchanging intimacies for decades, but I draw the line at 'man', 'dude' and 'bro'.

Sorry. A geriatric moment.

 

[Offroad]

How things change over time!

Here's (or used to be) the definition of Dude - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[allenman]

Hey man, have you got a minute? There has been some bad stuff happening around the office lately.

This form with "real" removed is correct
However, no one around here says "Hey man" -- sounds strange. We would actually use "Dude..you got a minute? -- There's been some bad stuff happening around here lately"

Not a teacher - AmE native (from Texas)

 

[Tdol]

I'd agree with this but add that in my opinion "real" should be "really" since it is an adverb modifying the adjective "bad."

Thanks for spotting that- I was looking at the verbs too closely and missed it. ;-)

 

[Tdol]

How things change over time!

Here's (or used to be) the definition of Dude - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dude hasn't taken off much in BrE and it sounds strange when I hear it.