Would you correct my English, please? ( Apr. 23 )

Question

Hello. I wrote two dialogues. Would you check them, please?

No. 1

M: You look exhausted [ awful tired ].

F: Yes. May I sit next to you?

M: Sure. Go ahead. What's bugging you?

( Q Is this sentence too casual, or OK between friends? )

F: I sat up late all (through the) night writing my essay [ paper ].

No. 2

M: What are your plans for this evening?

F: I'm going to watch TV.

M: Are you? Are there any good programs tonight?

F: Oh, yes. A TV special on Kennedy will air tonight.

Thank you. kenta

Avangi · Accepted Answer

KentaM: Sure. Go ahead. What's bugging you?
( Q Is this sentence too casual, or OK between friends? )

Yes, it does imply a certain familiarity.
It would certainly be no way to strike up a conversation with a stranger.

There must be some context, or something you observe, to suggest that the person is distressed in some way.

If it's a friend, perhaps he called to say that he had a problem he'd like to discuss with you, and you agreed to meet somewhere. The conversation followed.

But if this is a close friend who is expecting you, you would not need permission to sit next to him.

Working all night is a good reason to look exhausted, but not necessarily a reason to "be bugged about something."

Perhaps you don't have the expression right. "What's bugging you?" is appropriate when the person seems out of sorts, or is confrontational in some way.

The grammar and style are fine.

KentaM: What are your plans for this evening?
F: I'm going to watch TV.
M: Are you? Are there any good programs tonight?

F: Oh, yes. A TV special on Kennedy will air tonight.

"Are there any good programs ON tonight" is more natural.

A TV special on Kennedy will air tonight. This is much too formal for two friends watching TV.

Yes, there's a special on Kennedy. (This is plenty enough information to answer the question.)

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Hi Avangi,

I am sorry to interrupt you.

1. What is the difference between, a show and a program?

2. What's the difference: "There's a documentary on Kennedy" and "There's a special on Kennedy"?

Thank you.

Tinanam

Avangi · Answer

tinanam01021. What is the difference between, a show and a program?

"Program" was the original term, dating well back before the days of TV. A "radio program" was any regularly scheduled presentation.
"Let's listen to the Amos 'n' Andy program."
"There's a news program coming on next."
They used to have a lot of quiz programs and soap operas - all called "programs."
I can't honestly remember if we used to say "Let's listen to the Amos 'n' Andy Show."

Shows were live - vaudeville, variety shows, musicals. Lots of visual stuff.
Of course movies were called shows. (But the newsreel was not called a show.)

The point is that there was something to see. So this was natural for regularly scheduled entertainment "programs" on TV. We didn't say, "Let's watch the Johnny Carson program."
On the other hand, we didn't say, "Let's watch the NBC news show, even though there were lots of visuals. (It was not considered "entertainment.") - Well, maybe.

These are not hard and fast rules.

tinanam01022. What's the difference: "There's a documentary on Kennedy" and "There's a special on Kennedy"?

"Specials" are usually not in a recurring time slot.
"Documentaries" usually purport to be technically and historically accurate.
The History channel shows documentaries on a regular basis, in recurring time slots.
Some documentaries are specials, and some specials are documentaries.
But they have many specials which are purely entertainment - not documentaries.

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Hi Avangi,

Thank you for your explanation.

Have a good day.

Tinanam

Kenta · Answer

Hi, Avangi.

You gave me a precise explanation.

I learned a lot. Thank you very much.

kenta

Avangi · Answer

KentaYou gave me a precise explanation.

But I seem to have messed up on the genders!

(a minor detail)

Would you correct my English, please? ( Apr. 23 )

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