English Life
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Cat
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Todd
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Todd: OK. Hello! Can I have your name please?
Cat: Cat.
Todd: Cat! Is that short for something?
Cat: Short for Catherine.
Todd: Catherine. OK, Catherine. What's your full name?
Cat: Catherine Lovelock.
Todd: Oh, nice name. Nice!
Cat: Glad you think so.
Todd: And where are you from?
Cat: Ah, from England.
Todd: OK. Where in England?
Cat: Ah, in the Southeast. A small town just by the seaside.
Todd: Nice. So you live by the beach?
Cat: Yes, about ten minutes from the beach.
Todd: Wow, do you surf?
Cat: It's not the kind of place you can surf. The waves are too small and the sea is too cold.
Todd: OK. What kind of place is your town?
Cat: What kind of place?
Todd: Yeah.
Cat: It's..it's..well very very small. It's normally really busy in the summer. There's not very much to do there, but when the sun is shining you can go to the beach. It's really good.
Todd: Yeah, sounds like a great place. How far is it from London?
Cat: About 70 miles so that's about two hours by train.
Todd: OK.
Cat: From Central London.
Todd: So when you go to London you go by train?
Cat: Normally yes because you can't drive, there's nowhere to park.
Todd: OK. Great. Thanks.
have (your) name
Can I have your name, please?
'Can I have your name?' is a polite and formal way to ask someone what his name is. This typically used in a customer service or administrative situation. Notice the following:
- Thank you for calling. Can I have your name
please?
- I will see if he's available to speak with you.
Can I have
your name please?
short for
Her nickname Cat is short for Kathryn.
If a word or name is 'short for' another word it is usually a portion of the long word. Many people in the U.S. use shortened versions of their name. Notice the following:
- His name is Bill, short for William.
- Is Pat short for Patricia?
full name
What's your full name?
Your 'full name' would include the long version of your first name, your middle name and your last name or names. You use your full name for important or legal documents. Notice the following:
- I've never heard your full name before.
- My full name doesn't fit in this tiny space.
normally
We normally go to London by train.
What you 'normally' do is what is the habit or the most common action for you. Another word for 'normally' is 'usually' Notice the following:
- We normally eat dinner around 7 P.M.
- How do you normally drive to work?
nowhere to park
You can't drive because there's nowhere to park.
When there is 'nowhere to park' it means there is not a place to put your car and leave it for a long time. This could mean that there are zero actual parking spaces, or that it is always very crowded and no spaces are usually available. Notice the following:
- There is nowhere to park in front of your building.
- There will be nowhere to park near the fair so we will
have to
walk.
Vocabulary Quiz
normally • nowhere
