Reflection for Unit 5: Making Arrangements (on 13th February 2013)

I learnt to differentiate between formal and informal/neutral phrases used when making arrangements. In one of the exercises, we had to differentiate between British English and American English in the way dates are said and written, and I found it quite difficult. I also learnt that we use a past continuous form to suggest politeness, for example “I was wondering if” and “I was hoping that”.

There are some words whose usage is new to me; “partner” is used if you are not sure if someone is married or not, while “foursome” is used to indicate a double date and is also a term used in golfing.

There was a moment when I wondered why the word “pencil” is used in the phrase “let’s pencil it in”, then right after that, Mr C answered my question, he said it is because if we use pencil, we can erase it! A funny fact and yet so true. Moreover, this phrase indicates the plan is not confirmed yet and there is a possibility of a change of plan.