“So, how was the meeting? Was it as dull as usual or did people...”
“It was quite lively for a change. A few old men whom I’d never seen before piped up. They had a lot of things...”
“Piped up? Does it mean that they spoke... they had things to say?”
“That’s right! When you ‘pipe up’, you interrupt others and say something. You speak quite unexpectedly. Someone from the back row piped up, ‘How long do we have to sit in these uncomfortable chairs?’ Everyone laughed.”
“I’m sure Rahul will pipe up when he realises that his letters are not being taken seriously. That reminds me, I need to call him. Can I borrow your phone?”
“Borrow my phone? Where’s yours? Did you lose it?”
“I don’t think so. It could be quite possible that I left it in Rahul’s house.”
“You don’t normally use ‘could’ or ‘can’ before ‘possible’. You normally say, ‘it is possible’ and not ‘could be possible’ — especially when you’re talking about a past event.”
“So, I have to say, ‘It’s quite possible that I left the phone in Rahul’s house’.”
“Good! It’s quite possible that they went to the wrong hotel.”
“Talking about hotels, did you and Ajit go to the new restaurant yesterday?”
“Yes, we did. The food wasn’t anything great, but we managed to...”
“You should worry about the food only when you are paying for it. Last night’s dinner was Ajit’s treat, wasn’t it?”
“That’s what I thought. But when the bill arrived, he said we should go Dutch.” “Go Dutch? What does it mean?”
“When you go Dutch, you agree to share the cost of something with someone. You end up paying half the amount.”
“I can understand college students going Dutch when they go to a restaurant. But why would people with good jobs go Dutch? It doesn’t make sense. Both of you have money.”
“Let’s just say that Ajit is very careful with his. He always insists on going Dutch.”
“When Shekar took Gayathri to a movie, she insisted that they go Dutch.”
“Good for her. Is Gayathri the person who keeps saying ‘good morning’, no matter...”
“That’s right! Like many people in our country, she says ‘good morning’ at three o’clock in the afternoon. But it’s okay, right? Especially, if you happen to be seeing the person for the first time that day.”
“No, it’s not okay. You usually wish someone ‘good morning’ before noon. Anything after twelve o’clock, you usually say ‘good afternoon’ or good evening’. Depending on what time of day it is.”
“So ‘good morning’ has nothing to do with whether you’re seeing a person for the first time or not?”
“No, it doesn’t! If I see you for the first time at two o’clock in the afternoon, I have to wish you ‘good afternoon’, and not ‘good morning’. That’s what a native speaker would do. If you wish someone ‘good morning’ at three o’clock in the afternoon, he’ll probably think you’re trying to be funny!”
* * *
Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. — Mark Twain
Email: upendrankye@gmail.com
