Do You Slang?

有趣的英文俚語English “rocks”!英文真的好酷！Making language more colorful one word or phrase at a time. by Ruth Devlin

Where do you find slang? It is like everywhere! And "way cool"-at least to some people. The dictionary defines slang as a kind of language mainly used in casual, playful speech whose terms are usually short-lived and change frequently. Slang coins new words and creates new meanings for old words. Who uses it? Everyone. And you'll find slang in almost every language.

American teens have slang from the emphatic No way! to the ubiquitous like that peppers their language. The slang word chillaxing combines the words chill and relax and means hanging out and doing nothing. Older folks still use slang from their younger days. Examples include have a blast. which means to enjoy a great time, and don't have a cow, which means don't get upset.

Today the Internet helps slang proliferate, but years ago. Shakespeare's writings spread it. Some people say that one in every 10 words Shakespeare used in his plays was slang. His plays popularized a lot of terms-many of which are considered standard language today. Believe it or not, bedroom, employer, luggage, soft-hearted and embrace are among the words Shakespeare either coined or helped to popularize.

Slang affects both vocabulary and grammar. Take like. It can modify a verb, a noun, an adjective or an adverb. But mostly, it's used as a filler-a word that has no meaning that is added to a sentence. An example is "This car is like really slow." Another filler is stuff. This word, which means "and so on." can follow just about any word or phrase: The restaurant sells snacks and stuff.

Popular slang verbs include rule, which means something has superiority. "Our school rules!" Rock has somewhat the same meaning: "You rock" means you are great. The word so when used to mean "very" is nothing new. But in the sentence "I am so over my ex-boyfriend" it means without a doubt.

Some slang lasts for years, and some is very short-lived. No one knows why. The word OK started out as a slang misspelling of " all correct" but has become an acceptable adjective. Cool continues to thrive as well. On the other hand, to dig something, meaning to understand or enjoy it, has gone by the wayside.

Learning slang can be fun and brighten up your language, but remember what is here today is often gone tomorrow.

Grammar Tips
Today the Internet helps slang proliferate, but years ago, Shakespeare's writings spread it.
Today....but years ago,....- describe how things now compare to the days before.
Today we have the convenience of using cellular phones, but years ago, we had to depend on pay phones.
Today women can have any hairstyle they like, but years ago, many cultures expected women to have long hair.

Vocabulary Tips
slang (n)-俚語 slang(v)-說俚語
*"Kick back" is slang for: "relax".
*These football players slang (v) a lot when they're alone.
ubiquitous-普通存在的，無所不在的。到處都是。
*When we went to the woods, we were attacked by the ubiquitous mosquitoes.
*It seemed difficult for the celebrity couple to get rid of the ubiquitous paparazzi.無所不在的狗崽隊
proliferate-increase in number or amount.激增，擴散，氾濫。
*Crimes proliferated in the downtown area and caused many people to move to the suburbs.郊區
*Computer companies proliferated in San Jose in the 90's. 90年代
modify-修飾，修改
*My professor advised me to modify y report after he read it.
*The accounting system was recently modified to make it more efficient and accurate. 更精凖。
thrive-發展，旺盛，興旺。lives on, grow and success.
*John's construction company still thrived during the recession.
*Cindy might look very timid but she thrives well under stress.
go by the wayside- 束之高閣，擱置一旁。擺在一邊 wayside-路邊
*Cassettes and video tapes went by the wayside years ago. They are very hard to find now.
*Mark spent a fortune buying tools, but they have since gone by the wayside.
stuff-summarize many things.
rock-slang means "cool, likable, agree."
ridden (adj)-受折磨，受虐待的，受支配的 ride的過去式
affluent (adj)-富裕的，富足的，流暢的，支流
neglectful (adj)-怠慢的，不留意的，疏忽的。
assessment (n)-沽定，評定，課徴
renovations and repairs-修復和修理

Chat Room
slang-俚語
cram-擠壓,擠塞,填塞,
all-nighter (slang)-整夜不眠，熬通宵， all night-整晚，通宵。
bomb-炸彈 bomb(slang)-fail, not success. 很大的失敗，完全的失敗。
bomb the test-考試不及格，影片票房不佳。
cool-很棒，好過癮。
sweet-甜，（人）很甜美，（車）很棒！，（東西）很讚！
That car is very sweet.
That person has a sweet personality.
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Learning slang can be fun and brighten up your language-有趣。。使語言生動活潑（發亮）
brighten up-從暗轉亮，由陰轉晴，或在陰暗的衣著上，房間裏加添些明亮的色調，或彩麗配件使其出色，發亮起來。
bright-明亮， 喜樂，聰明，快活
brighten -使發光，使發亮，使。。亮起來
brighten his day. -make his day, let him happy with positive thinking. make him feel nice.
brighten up- Colorful flowers brighten up this room.
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*** Slang word is informal, use in casual talking.
*** You don't pepper your word on your report paper.