could u plz tell me??????

saher   Thu Jan 11, 2007 6:47 am GMT
could any one of u people please tell me the meaning and use of...
1-take for granted
2-overboard
3-gotta
4-reckon
5-keep the fingers crossed
thanx
Robin   Thu Jan 11, 2007 8:17 am GMT
Nobody likes to be taken for granted. People write replies to questions, but they don't get paid and they get precious little thanks.

Don't go overboard on this one. I am not particularly upset, I just feel that a few words would make all the difference.

So what have you gotta say about that. 'Gotta' is of course, one of those dreadful American colloquial expressions, that should not be written down.

I reckon it is alright in America, but it should not cross the Atlantic.

If we keep are fingers crossed, English will be preserved for posterity as the language of Shakespeare and Robespierre.
Guest   Thu Jan 11, 2007 9:00 am GMT
Well English today isn't spoken like one of Shakespeare's plays and modern writers have their own style. So things are progressing just fine.

'Gotta' is ordinarily a contraction of 'got to' in casual speech: got t' or gottuh, if you prefer. e.g. I've got t'go. Such certainly isn't confined to American English and isn't an American innovation. In writing, 'gotta' can be used when quoting speech.
Guest   Thu Jan 11, 2007 9:07 am GMT
"So what have you gotta say about that."

This sentence is wrong, Robin. No one uses "gotta" like that. You are such a dumbfuck.
Guest   Thu Jan 11, 2007 9:10 am GMT
For those who don't know, Robin knows very little about grammar and always gives the wrong answer to questions. Often, he can't even understand the question. Please ignore his stupidity for the sake of this forum.
other dude   Thu Jan 11, 2007 11:48 pm GMT
there is nothing wrong with reckon... and correction it is used only in the deep south. (the confederacy in the civil war).
oh and people say gotta anyway they want. hahahahahaha. nice little sayin you have there at the end!!!!!
Uriel   Fri Jan 12, 2007 3:37 am GMT
Australians and the British use "gotta", "gonna" and every other shortcut in the English language. Why do you think anything you don't happen to like is American, Robin?

And by the way, Shakespeare was writing for the commoners of his day, not the literary society -- his plays are littered with the obscenities, dirty jokes, rude gestures, and slang of his time.
Pete   Fri Jan 12, 2007 4:22 am GMT
<<Australians and the British use "gotta", "gonna" and every other shortcut in the English language. Why do you think anything you don't happen to like is American, Robin?>>

Maybe, because Americans made it popular due to American English popularity, Uriel :)
Indeed, every English speaker could use 'gotta' whenever they want.

<<"So what have you gotta say about that."

This sentence is wrong, Robin. No one uses "gotta" like that. You are such a dumbfuck.>>

No it isn't. I've heard loads of English blokes saying sentences like that. Maybe, Americans would use it like that, but in some other countries they do. And even if he were wrong... who gave you the authority to insult him like that? who the hell are you?

<<For those who don't know, Robin knows very little about grammar and always gives the wrong answer to questions. Often, he can't even understand the question. Please ignore his stupidity for the sake of this forum.>>

Oh, and you surely know everything. guests should not be allowed to post either, for the sake of this forum... y'know.

<<And by the way, Shakespeare was writing for the commoners of his day, not the literary society -- his plays are littered with the obscenities, dirty jokes, rude gestures, and slang of his time.>>

Brilliant... who would contradict this?
Pete   Fri Jan 12, 2007 4:31 am GMT
<<Americans would use it like that,...>

That should be: Americans wouldn't use it like that...
saher   Fri Jan 12, 2007 5:11 am GMT
thanx a lot to all of u for helping me...specially robin...i have understood now..thanx
Guest   Fri Jan 12, 2007 5:36 am GMT
Pete, the correct way to say it is "So what have you got to say about that?" "gotta" is only used to indicate obligation, e.g. "I've gotta go."
juno   Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:37 pm GMT
"Pete, the correct way to say it is "So what have you got to say about that?" "gotta" is only used to indicate obligation, e.g. "I've gotta go.""

No, the correct to say it would be: "So what ya gotta say bout'at?"
tia   Fri Jan 19, 2007 8:12 pm GMT
So... nobody told the definition or use of reckon... Could someone explain it?
User   Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:16 am GMT
>> there is nothing wrong with reckon... and correction it is used only in the deep south. (the confederacy in the civil war). <<

It's not just in the south. I say reckon all the time.

>> So... nobody told the definition or use of reckon... Could someone explain it? <<
It simply means "think".
Boy   Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:39 am GMT
I have watched a lot of American movies and sitcoms. I have even talked to a few Americans on the phone. It is always "think". The word reckon is a norm for Australian, British and South African speakers. Watch any cricket match on TV. It will pop up zillion times. Uriel, so you're an exception to the rule??? Any British links? If my memory serves me right, you said that you had visited the UK sometime back.