English the American Way: A Fun ESL Guide to Language and Culture in the U.S. » Unit 19: Gadget Central
WE can hear you—and we don’t want to hear you!
Come on, admit it. We know it’s happened to you, too. You were sitting quietly on the bus, reading your newspaper, when she took the seat next to you. Yak, yak, yak! You heard all about her boyfriend’s cooking skills. You heard about her sister’s new chocolate diet. You heard about the neighbor’s dog. Do you care? We don’t care!
Okay, we all love cell phones. They make it easy to stay in touch with friends and family at all times. The convenient features of smartphones are irresistible: hi-tech cameras, HD video, high speed Internet access, cool ring tones, even GPS guidance to help you get where you want to go! We remember when voicemail, flip phones, and QWERTY keyboards for texting were cool! Come on, admit it. You love those touch screens, games, and applications that can help you do just about anything you need to do. Want to find a restaurant near your class tonight? Check your phone. Need a map of the neighborhood? Check your phone. Want to know what movie is showing at the theater on Tuesday? Check your phone. It may be hard to imagine, but even the simplest early phones had keypads with a multi-tap function for texting.
Oh, and if you just want to make a phone call, you can do that, too. Haha!
All of these communication conveniences come with a cost. And we’re not just talking about the monthly bill! But now that we’ve mentioned it, let’s talk about the monthly bill. Most companies offer a bundle of services for a set price each month. You can add features to your plan, but that will usually add to your bill, too. You’ll have to pay for some special apps (applications) or games that you download. And if you want unlimited access to the Internet, you’ll need to have a more expensive plan for that, too.
But the biggest cost of all this convenience is suffering when people don’t observe simple phone etiquette. It’s rude to speak loudly on the phone in a public place. It’s rude when your phone rings or vibrates in a meeting. It’s rude when you interrupt a face-to-face conversation to answer a phone call. Many places ban cell phone use. Some trains have special “quiet cars” where no cell phones are allowed. Good cell phone etiquette means that you are respectful of others around you. No matter how interesting your bowl of cereal is to you, trust us: The guy sitting next to you does not want to hear about it!
ALAN: Good morning, Officer. Was I speeding when you pulled me over? I thought I was being very careful.
POLICE OFFICER: I didn’t pull you over for speeding. I pulled you over because you were talking on a cell phone while driving.
ALAN: For talking on the phone? Is that a problem? My wife just called to remind me about an appointment when I get back from my business trip.
POLICE OFFICER: Sir, using a handheld device while driving is illegal in this state. I can see from your plates that you’re from out of town, so I’ll let you go with just a warning this time. But, sir, next time just check the law before your trip. Maybe you should buy a hands-free device if you do a lot of driving for business.
ALAN: I will do that, Officer. In fact, I was thinking about buying a Bluetooth earpiece when I bought my phone. I will definitely get one as soon as I get home. Thanks.
POLICE OFFICER: By the way, I hope you weren’t texting when I pulled you over. Texting while driving is even more dangerous than talking.
| Tip 1 | It is illegal in many states to use a cell phone while driving. You should check ahead if you’re traveling. Actually, it’s a good idea to turn off the phone while you’re in the car no matter where you are! |
| Tip 2 | Have you ever been lost while driving? Many phone plans let you order GPS just when you need it. |
The past continuous tense is often used with the simple past tense to show one longer action that was interrupted by a shorter action.
For example:
He was speeding when the police officer stopped him.
Was speeding is the long action; stopped is the action that interrupts the longer action.
In the good old days before computers, people read printed books and newspapers to get information. Students spent hours and hours in the library, looking for information in dusty old books for class assignments. Essays were handwritten; if students made a mistake, they would toss the paper and start writing all over again. Now? Information is instant! Students can find anything on the Internet in minutes and then compose a document on their laptops, all while sitting on the sofa. If they make a mistake, they can just delete or cut, copy, and paste to move bits of text around. Maybe the most important computer skill is knowing how to back up your files in case your computer crashes, or you drop your device in the lake. Documents and files can be sent to “the cloud” for storage. We’re not really sure what “the cloud” is, but we know it makes it easy to find stuff from any device! Ha, we remember when all we got from clouds was rain! We still like to keep another backup file, just to be doubly-sure that our hard work won’t be lost forever in cyberspace.
We also remember the library in the good old days. It was a place where everyone was quiet. Hum along to an iPod tune? Never! Send an e-mail while working? What’s e-mail? Watch a movie on the HDTV while you work? Impossible! Download MP3s to your hard drive or device? No! But now students can watch YouTube videos about their research topic as they write a paper. And as they are writing, they can IM friends in another window on their computer screen. A simple click of the mouse, hit SAVE, and students can take a quick chat break. Wait. Did you think we were talking about chatting with someone in the same room? No! We’re talking about online chat rooms. You don’t even need to hook up a webcam; just open an app and it’s party time instead of homework time!
Do we sound like dinosaurs? Actually, we love technology. With social networking apps, and cable and satellite signals, electronic devices and HDTVs can broadcast important local information instantly. In areas where severe weather is a problem, TV is an excellent source of warnings. Your local radio or TV station can give information about where to get help or what to do to keep your family and home safe. Hurricane updates can help you prepare your house. If a tornado is coming, you can get to a safe area. If there’s a snowstorm, people often turn to radio or TV to hear about school closings. School is closing? Yay! Quick—text your buddy the good news!
Technology is our friend! Instant communication is convenient, fun, and easy. But for those of us who still like to hold a piece of paper with the words of friends, there is always snail mail.
ALAN: Uh-oh.
LIA: That sounds like trouble. What happened?
ALAN: I was answering an e-mail, and I hit Reply All.
LIA: So, what’s the problem?
ALAN: Well, the problem is that my e-mail reply said, “I don’t want to go to this meeting! I want to go to lunch!”
LIA: Aaackkk! Were you thinking that the e-mail would just go to your friend?
ALAN: Yes! I wasn’t reading the other names on the list, so I didn’t see that the boss was also on the list!
LIA: Well, you really need to be careful about sending e-mail. Once you hit Send, it’s gone. You can’t get it back.
ALAN: I know. And even if the e-mail comes from a friend, I have to remember that there are other people on the list, too. The boss sent me a reply: “Is it your lunchtime, Alan?”
LIA: Well, I don’t think you’ll get fired over an e-mail that says you want to go to lunch, but maybe you should explain to your boss that you were only kidding. It was just a little joke about going to lunch instead of going to the meeting. Was he wondering why you were so hungry?
ALAN: No. He wasn’t wondering why I was hungry. I think he was wondering why he hired me in the first place!
| Tip 3 | Before you reply to an e-mail, be sure to check if you are hitting Reply or Reply All. Reply All means your note will be seen by every person on the list. This could be embarrassing if you write something you don’t want your boss to see and his or her name is on the list! |
The past continuous tense is used to talk about a long continuing action in the past.
Form it by using the past tense of the verb to be and the -ing form of the verb. To form the negative,
simply add not or -n’t after the verb to be.
Take a look at these examples from the readings and dialogues in this unit:
Positive:
You were sitting quietly on the bus.
I thought I was being very careful.
Negative:
I hope you weren’t texting. (were not)
I wasn’t reading the other names on the list. (was not)
He wasn’t wondering why I was hungry. (was not)
To form a question using the past continuous tense, just put the form of the verb to be first, then the subject, and finally the -ing form of the verb.
Take a look at these examples from the readings and dialogues in this unit:
Was I speeding?
Were you thinking that the e-mail would just go to your friend?
Was he wondering why you were so hungry?
Remember to add a question word at the beginning as you need it, e.g.,
“What were you thinking?”
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