Brad Pitt: Love

                                                             Brad Pitt

Question: How do you know when you’re in love?

Brad Pitt: Do you know how you tell real love? It's when someone else's interest trumps your own. I like to put it that way: trumps your own.

(to put it that way=to say it that way)

(to trump your own=to beat/defeat/over-power your own)

Talking about Love

Talking about love with friends.  Love is a topic when you have talked to someone 4 –5 times; maybe more.   Love is a strong emotion and people often listen closely and check to see if you feel the same or different from them.  People see love as a core value. 

Brad Pitt uses a rhetorical question to answer the original question. Also, he re-frames the original question in another form but the topic idea remains the same.  The form he uses has an authority style feeling to it.

Do you know how to tell (=notice) you’re in real love? = I will teach you.

This authority style speech gives him an aura of father, teacher, guru, expert, etc.

However, it is common and doesn’t sound too strong for the listener in a rhetorical question form.  You may also want to use this style to give yourself a moment to think of an appropriate answer. 

He says his idea about love using a common wording that is often used to describe love:

It's when …

Next, he gives his message and reemphasizes it by simply repeating the same words again:

It's when someone else's interest 'trumps your own'. I like to put it that way: 'trumps your own'.

He is using a strong expression style and then changes to a softer feeling. The change of tone expresses his passion and belief about love for his mate.  His mate is number one and he will be number two for her because he truly loves her.  Brad Pitt comes across as a man with strong convictions about love.  Brad achieves HIGH CLASS COMMUNICATION/English with only a few sentences. 

Speaking Pattern

Do you know how to tell you’re in real love? It's when someone else's interest trumps your own. I like to put it that way: trumps your own.

Part One

First, let’s simplify Brad’s style:

Do you know how to tell you’re in real love?  It's when someone else's interest trumps your own.

Examples:

Do you know how to tell you’re in real love?  It's when someone else's interest trumps your own.

1.Do you know how to tell you’re in real love?  It's when two becomes one.

2.Do you know how to tell you’re in real love?  It's when you can’t imagine life without the other person.

Part Two

Now, let’s lengthen the style:

Do you know how to tell you’re in real love? It's when someone else's interest trumps your own. I like to put it that way: trumps your own.

Examples:

3.Do you know how to tell you’re in real love?  It's when two becomes one.

I like to put it that way: two becomes one.

4.Do you know how to tell you’re in real love?  It's when you can’t imagine life without the other person.  I like to put it that way: can’t imagine life without the other person.

Try it with me :-)

I would love to see one of your ideas in Brad's simplified form. Please post or send me 1 Example Sentence. :-)

It’s when ______________________.

Also Find Out what Angelina Jolie feels about Long-term Relationships!

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BRAD PITT’S LATEST MOVIE!  "THE TREE OF LIFE" 

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Avril Lavigne: Dating

                                                               

Question: What type of boys are you into?

Avril Lavigne:  Boys with guitars…they’re really fucking hot. I 

                          could never date a preppy guy. 

Speaking Style

In conversation, with friends, the type of person you like to date often occurs.  Guys and girls often spend hours talking about the type of person they like or don’t like.  Today, we will look at how to start talking naturally about dating.

Avril has a young, vibrant style of casual conversation.  In this case, she is asked about the type of guys she likes.  She gives a good strong answer with her ideal type and what she doesn’t like.  In some cultures, we might avoid the part about what we ‘don’t like’ but in English it comes across naturally.

Avril also uses common expressions to make her feelings vibrant or passionate.  Speaking with passion makes people want to listen to you.  Let’s change the question and answer expressions into direct English with the same meanings. 

Question: What type of boys are you 'into'?

                   = What type of boys do you 'like'? (same meaning)

Avril: Boys with guitars …they’re really 'fucking hot'.  I could     

           never date a 'preppy guy'.    

           = Avril: Boys with guitars …they’re really, 'really 

              attractive and sexy'.  

              I could never date a guy who wears 'neat, classic

              clothing with a preparatory school style'. 

              (same meaning)

  

Casual Slang Word Summary

1. 'fucking' = very

2. 'hot' = really attractive and sexy

3. 'preppy guy' = a guy who wears young but classic clothing that is neat and well put together.  The clothing is usually expensive.  This fashion style comes from clothing designed after expensive preparatory school uniforms.  Modern preppy fashion can be seen in the clothing line by ‘Tommy Hilfiger’.

Now let’s put these ideas into practice.  Below is the main speaking pattern to try out in your next English encounter with a native speaker. Also, don’t forget the slang!

Conversational Speaking Pattern

Boys with ________...they're really fucking hot.  I could never date a ________.

1. Boys with snowboards …they're really fucking hot.  I could never date a guy who doesn’t like the mountains in winter.

2. Boys with muscles …they're really fucking hot.  I could never date a skinny guy.

Girls with ________...they're really fucking hot. I could never date a ________.

3. Girls with tattoos   …they're really fucking hot.  I could never date a boring girl.

4. Girls with long hair …they're really fucking hot.  I could never date a girl with short hair.

I hope you enjoy challenging these speaking patterns in your daily life!

Take care,

Alex

                                                   

More Stuff!

Avril Lavigne's official website

LINK: http://www.avrillavigne.com/ca

Tommy Hilfiger's official website

LINK: http://usa.tommy.com/tommy/

Avril's video about how a guy can make her feel!

                                                          

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Natural English from Aretha Franklin and Bono: 'Growing Up'

                  Aretha Franklin 'The Queen of Soul'

Bono of U2

In casual conversation, the simple question: “Where are you from?” often occurs. Let’s take a look at how Bono (Irish musician) and Aretha Franklin (American musician) answer the question.

Question:  “Where are you from?”

Bono: I grew up in a lower-middle-class neighborhood.

Aretha Franklin: I was brought up in Detroit, and most of my 

                           family's here.

Speaking Style

People often ask me:  “Which style is better?”

I grew up…

        OR

I was brought up…

I think if you ask your native speaker friends, they will say they use either style without thinking.  Both answers are natural in a casual/informal conversation.  Also, you can notice that Aretha Franklin shortened her sentence by dropping the object.

I was brought up by my grandmother in Detroit.  (according to Aretha’s biography)

In conversation you can do this too!

Common Mistake

However, language learners often want to add an object to the verb ‘grew up’ because the ideas seem similar or interchangeable to the verb 'to be brought up'.

For example:

I grew up by my parents in New York.       incorrect

My parents grew me up in New York.        incorrect

Unfortunately, both sentences are incorrect because the verb ‘grew up’ doesn’t take an object.  The verb ‘brought up’ can take an object. 

I was brought up by my parents in New York.      correct

My parents brought me up in New York.              correct

Now the sentences are “OK”!

Anyhow, don’t think too much about grammar.  You can use either phrase in casual conversation quite easily by following Bono and Aretha’s answer styles.  Here are some examples if you need some extra practice.  Please try them out at your next social gathering.  

Conversational Speaking Patterns

I grew up in __________.

1. I grew up in New York.                                  

2. I grew up in a middle-class neighborhood.   

I was brought up in __________.

3. I was brought up in Detroit.                    

4. I was brought up in the countryside.      

More Stuff!

Check out the tourist links of Bono and Aretha’s hometowns:

Bono-Dublin, Ireland

LINK http://www.visitdublin.com/

Aretha-Detroit, Michigan, United States

LINK http://www.visitdetroit.com/

Take Care Alex! See you next week!

Celebrity English

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