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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Vocabulary
"to be blue" - in certain context "to be a blue-collar man"?
Hello dear members,
I am an English-as-a-foreign-language teacher and came across the following sentences: "We are being invaded. They have taken away our jobs, our security. I am just a blue-collar man living in a small town. And I just wish the government cared about a man who was blue."
To me it seems as if "to be blue" in this context meant "to be a worker". Normally it should mean "to be depressed, sad".
What is your opinion on the matter?
Best wishes
Julia Philips
I am an English-as-a-foreign-language teacher and came across the following sentences: "We are being invaded. They have taken away our jobs, our security. I am just a blue-collar man living in a small town. And I just wish the government cared about a man who was blue."
To me it seems as if "to be blue" in this context meant "to be a worker". Normally it should mean "to be depressed, sad".
What is your opinion on the matter?
Best wishes
Julia Philips
Top answer
I think it's a play on words. To be a blue-collar worker in the present economy is to be blue (depressed, sad).
- I think it's a play on words.
- To be a blue-collar worker in the present economy is to be blue (depressed, sad).
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6 Answers
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I think it's a play on words. To be a blue-collar worker in the present economy is to be blue (depressed, sad).
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Dear AlpheccaStars,
there is a grammatical question immediately linked to the last sentence. "And I just wish the government cared about a man who WAS blue." I took "WAS" as a sign of reported speech. Some of my students came up with the idea that it actually described a state in the simple past, meaning that this person actually WAS a worker (or sad) in the past, but no longer is.
there is a grammatical question immediately linked to the last sentence. "And I just wish the government cared about a man who WAS blue." I took "WAS" as a sign of reported speech. Some of my students came up with the idea that it actually described a state in the simple past, meaning that this person actually WAS a worker (or sad) in the past, but no longer is.
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I wish the government cared about a man who was blue.
It's simply a matter of continuing to use the past tense, which, after 'wish', indicates present time.
_____________
'wish' has an unusual grammar. If you want to read more about it, see and follow the links.
CJ
It's simply a matter of continuing to use the past tense, which, after 'wish', indicates present time.
_____________
'wish' has an unusual grammar. If you want to read more about it, see and follow the links.
CJ
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Blue-collar workers are tradespeople (electricians, plumbers, mechanics, etc.) and white-collar workers are office workers. As previously stated by another, it seems to be a play on words with the economy being blue (depressed).
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Thanks to all of you. You are being very generous.
Instinctively I had been right then. To wish requires another form of the verb following, although the meaning is of this verb is one of the present. I wish you loved me, for example.
Julia
Instinctively I had been right then. To wish requires another form of the verb following, although the meaning is of this verb is one of the present. I wish you loved me, for example.
Julia
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