Gary gets frustrated at the poor road manners of other drivers and confuses Simon with his complaints.
Phone-in Lesson 28
Download Phone-in Lessons 2002 – Lesson 28 (ZIP, 3.2MB)
| Gary and Simon are in Simon’s car on their way to the Exhibition… | |
| Gary: | Your car so nice! How much you pay again? |
| Simon: | Too much, if you ask me. I mean all this CEO and EPR. |
| Gary: | What? Oh, you mean COE and ERP! Hey, don’t forget to tie your seatbelt, ah. |
| Simon: | Oh, ok. So, what’s the fastest way to get there? We have to be there by 4 pm. Oh, and I have to get petrol. |
| Gary: | Noooo problem. I think we should go by Queensway because Orchard Road always jam this time and then we can stop at the petrol kiosk. |
| Simon: | Petrol kiosk? You mean petrol station! That sounds fine – and then go by AYE? |
| Gary: | Wah! You learn fast, ah? |
| They stop at the petrol station… | |
| Simon: | Here we are. Do you need anything? |
| Gary: | I’ll come with you. (They enter). Wah lau! So many people and cut queue some more! |
| Simon: | What did you say? |
| Gary: | He cut queue. |
| Simon: | Oh, I see. You mean he jumped the queue. I’ve noticed that happens here quite a lot, especially waiting for taxis! |
| Simon and Gary get back into the car… | |
| Gary: | Got everything you need? |
| Simon: | Yes, we better get a move on. The expressways in Singapore are great – I just love them… |
| Gary: | Eh! Your grandfather’s road, ah?! |
| Simon: | Gary! What’s wrong? |
| Gary: | Did you see him? His car cut yours! |
| Simon: | His car didn’t touch mine! It’s ok!! |
| Gary: | He cut you! His car cut into your lane! Horn him, leh! |
| Simon: | What? |
| Gary: | Yes, so rude. Horn him! |
| Narrator: | Simon seemed a bit confused in the petrol station. What exactly was Gary trying to say? |
| Replay… | |
| Gary: | I will come with you. Wah lau! So many people and cut queue some more! xxx What did you say? |
| Simon: | What did you say? |
| Gary: | He cut queue. |
| Narrator: | What Gary should have said was “the man jumped the queue”. Gary seemed even more confused back in the car… |
| Replay… | |
| Gary: | Eh! Your grandfather’s road, ah?! |
| Simon: | Gary! What’s wrong? |
| Gary: | Did you see him? His car cut yours! |
| Simon: | His car didn’t touch mine! It’s ok. |
| Gary: | He cut you! His car cut into your lane! Horn him, leh! |
| Simon: | What? |
| Gary: | Yes, so rude! Horn him! |
| Narrator: | The first confusing phrase for Simon was: |
| Replay… | |
| Gary: | Eh! Your grandfather’s road, ah?! |
| Narrator: | This is Singlish and it means that the driver is veering from lane to lane and is generally stopping people from passing. In good English, we usually call someone like this a ‘road hog’. But the really confusing thing was when Gary started saying: |
| Replay… | |
| Gary: | He cut you! His car cut into your lane! Horn him, leh! |
| Narrator: | Cars don’t cut cars – they can cut in front of your car and also overtake your car – we cut paper. Another Singlish expression is the use of ‘horn’ – in good English we say “blow the horn”, you can’t horn someone.
So, everyone, as you go home today, drive safely! But before you go, let me leave you with our quiz point: Gary says, ‘Orchard Road very jam’ and he told Simon to ‘tie his seatbelt’. What should he have said? Don’t forget to call tomorrow for Lesson 29! |
Quiz Point
Gary should have said “there’s a traffic jam on Orchard Road” and “fasten”, not ‘tie’, “your seatbelt”.
Written by Niamh O’ Leary, Laraine Bamrah, Harry Allen, Clare Williams, Shirley Lim and Alaisdair Raynham for The British Council, in association with the Speak Good English Movement.
© Ministry of Information and The Arts and British Council Singapore 2002.
