|
Back to Laugh and
Learn English
Back to Learn English from Mistakes
"She who laughs last,
laughs best!"
"Laughter is the
best medicine."
"Laugh and the world laughs with you, trip over a big bag of garbage and fall on the sidewalk breaking a bone or two and you fall alone!"
|
Learner's Mistake Three
In Case of Fire...
|
This funny English is from a hotel sign:
"In case of fire, do your utmost to alarm the hotel porter."
Explanation: A "porter" is someone who can carry your suitcases in a hotel. "Do your utmost" is correct
English, but it seems a bit too formal (and maybe a bit too enthusiastic!) which makes the mistake sound funnier. The
mistake is the verb "to alarm" which does NOT mean "to notify" or "to tell". Actually, "to alarm" means "to scare" or
"to frighten". The image of a hotel guest trying to frighten the porter is quite amusing! (^_^) [If you want to express
the idea of "tell" or "notify", you can say "sound an alarm" ("sound" is a verb here) or "set off an alarm".]
|
Ask Teacher Joe
Ask about a joke or about English, or leave a comment!
|
|
Tell Your Friends
About This Page!
Just click here
|
|
|