Class #16: Friends - Male Nanny

Vocabulary

CALENDULA

CREAM

DIAPER

DINOSAUR

HIPS

RASH

TOYS

Sandy: I really do understand how hard it's gotta be to leave your child with another person. I mean, it's like leaving behind a piece of your heart.
Rachel: Oh, Sandy, that's exactly what it is.
Ross: Are you gay?
Rachel: Ross! I'm sorry Ross, he's just Mr. Shoots-straight-from-the-hip. 
Sandy: It's ok, I get that a lot doing what I do. But I am straight. I'm engaged, actually. Her name is Delia.
Rachel: Oh, that's pretty. 
Ross: So you're just like a guy who's a nanny. 
Sandy: I realize how it's a bit unorthodox for some people. But I really believe the most satisfying thing you can do with your life is take care of a child.
Ross: Ok...
Sandy: Like in my last job. I met Daniel when he was 3 weeks old, and I got to watch him grow into this awesome person. When I left I said "I'll see you soon." And he said to me "Scadandy..." That was his name for me. "Ill see you every day, right in here."
Ross: Yeah, kids say all kinds of crap.
Rachel: Oh God, she must need her diaper changed.
Sandy: No no, I can do it for you, if you want.
Rachel: Oh, that would be great.
Sandy: Uh, just so you know, these dinosaur toys aren't really age-appropriate.
Ross: They're mine. 
Sandy: Oh... Also not age-appropriate.
Rachel: I love him, I love him, I love him!
Ross: Oh, come on! Rach, he's a guy!
Rachel: So? He's smart, he's qualified, give me one good reason we shouldn't try him out.
Ross: Because it's weird!
Rachel: Why?
Ross: ...
Rachel: Wow! I never looked at it that way!
Ross: What kind of job is that for a man? A nanny? I mean, it's like if a woman wanted to be...
Rachel: Yes? 
Ross: King? 
Sandy: I, uh... I hope you don't mind, I used some of my homemade lotion on Emma. It's a mixture of calendula and honey cream. To dry that rash right up. Plus, it keeps the hand young.
Rachel: Yes! Sandy, you're hired!
Sandy: That's great! I'm sorry, it's just such an emotional thing when you're welcomed into a new family.
Rachel: Oh! Come here.
Ross: You gotta be at least bi... 

Do / does: emphatic use

As you can see, do and does are used to make questions and negatives. They are not normally used in affirmative sentences. However, we can use them for emotive emphasis when we feel strongly about something.

I do love him. (More emphatic than ‘I love him.’)
She does look beautiful in that gown. Quiet stunning! (More emphatic than ‘She looks beautiful in that gown.)
You do look nice today!
She thinks I don’t love her, but I do love her. I really do!
I don’t see my old friends often, but I do call them every now and then.
Were you joking? I do believe you were pulling my leg.

When we use do and does for emphasis, we give them extra stress in pronunciation.

Did is mainly used for making questions and negative sentences in the simple past tense. It is also used in short answers.

Did you see John? Yes, I did. (NOT Yes, I saw.)
Did you receive the letter? No, I didn’t. (NOT No, I didn’t receive.)

In affirmative sentences in the simple past tense, we can use did for emotive or contrastive emphasis.

I did lock the door. (More emphatic than ‘I locked the door’.)
She did come. (More emphatic than ‘She came.’)
Almost everybody was away on holiday, but I did manage to see Alice.

Forming questions using intonation

We sometimes form questions by using a rising intonation at the end of the sentence. In this case, we use the normal word order. Do and does are not used in these questions.

You are quitting? Why?
You want to marry him? I can’t believe this. He’s so boring!

Superlative Forms

Two, Three or More Syllable Adjectives

Place 'the most' before the adjective.

Example: interesting - the most interesting / difficult - the most difficult

Example Sentences:

London is the most expensive city in England.
That is the most beautiful painting here.

Two Syllable Adjectives Ending in '-y' Place 'the' before the adjective and remove the 'y' from the adjective and add 'iest'.

Example: happy - the happiest / funny - the funniest

Example Sentences

New York is the noisiest city in the USA.
He is the most important person I know.

IMPORTANT EXCEPTIONS

There are some important exceptions to these rules. Here are two of the most important exceptions:

good

• good - adjective
• the best - superlative

Example Sentences

Peter is the best golf player in the school.
This is the best school in the city.

bad

• bad - adjective
• the worst - superlative

Example Sentences

Jane is the worst student in the class.

This is the worst day of my life.

Possessive pronouns

Possessive pronouns are used in English to avoid repeating information that is already clear. In general it makes the sentence less confusing because the same information is not being repeated.

This book is my book, not your book. (Sounds repetitive)
This book is mine, not yours. (Mine and yours are possessive pronouns)

In the sentence, mine is a possessive pronoun that replaces my book.
In the sentence, yours is a possessive pronoun that replaces your book.

The possessive pronouns in English are as follows:

Subject	Possessive Pronouns
I	Mine
You	Yours
He	His
She	Hers
It	Its
We	Ours
You (pl)	Yours
They	Theirs

Examples:

• I didn't have my umbrella so Marta lent me hers.
  (I didn't have my umbrella so Marta lent me her umbrella).
• Her car is faster than mine.
  (Her car is faster than my car).
• That food is ours and not theirs.
  (That food is our food and not their food).
• I know this drink is yours but I need to drink something.
  (I know this drink is your drink but I need to drink something).

Remember that with possessive pronouns there are no apostrophes (').

Of yours

It is also very common to say a friend/some friends + of + possessive pronouns.

• I saw one of your friends last night.
  I saw a friend of yours last night.

Both of these sentences are correct and both common in English.

Yours faithfully - Yours sincerely

Yours is also used in English with faithfully or sincerely at the end of a formal letter or e-mail. The two common expressions are:

• Yours faithfully (If it someone that you don't know)
• Yours sincerely (If it is someone that you know)

Differences between Say and tell

Use 'say' to to speak in general about something that has been said by someone. 'Say' is often used to report what someone else has said.

John said he had a good time in Las Vegas.
The teacher often says we need to study more.

Important Note: 'Say' refers to any type of speech and is therefore more general in nature.

Verb Forms: Say - Said - Said - Saying

Use 'tell' to mean that someone has instructed or informed someone else of something. 'Tell' is often used to report what someone else has told a specific person.

Angela told them to hurry up.
Our friends told us about their experiences in Germany.

Important Note: 'Tell' is always followed by an indirect object. The infinitive form is often used following the construction to indicate instructions (see example above).

Verb Forms: Tell - Told - Told - Telling