Really unusual for Russia

[Rachel Adams]

If I am talking about the life in Russia in my essay and then mention the fact that we have volunteers from Europe would it sound natural if I start my sentence with "Really unusual for Russia to invite ..."?

"Really unusual for Russia to invite volunteers. They work at local shelters. Some of them are vets."

 

[GoesStation]

If I am talking about [STRIKE]the[/STRIKE] life in Russia in my essay and then mention the fact that we have volunteers from Europe, would it sound natural if I start my sentence with "Really unusual for Russia to invite ..."?

"It's really unusual for Russia to invite volunteers. They work at local shelters. Some of them are vets."

See above.

 

[Rachel Adams]

See above.

Can "It's" be omitted in spoken English?

 

[GoesStation]

Can "It's" be omitted in spoken English?

In a casual register, yes.

 

[GoesStation]

I might pronounce the opening words like "Tsreally unusual".

 

[emsr2d2]

I might pronounce the opening words like "Tsreally unusual".

In BrE, you might not even hear the "t" at the start. You might hear "Sreally unusual".

 

[Rover_KE]

Some of them are vets.

You need to clarify what you mean by that. To some, 'vets' means 'veterans' – former combatants in military conflicts – to others, it means 'veterinarians' (like my vet – Dr Mike Ittens).