2020-01-21
7 分钟Hi there.
This is Harry, and welcome back to our podcasts, where I try to help you with your understanding of the english language by using different phrases, idioms, phrasal verbs, and basic grammar points that will help you to communicate better with the people that you wish to communicate with.
As always, if you want to contact me, you can do so, and I'll give you my details at the end of the podcast.
So, what are we going to talk about now?
Well, we want to look at issues about clarification.
When we talk about clarification, or to clarify something, it means to clear up something.
Let's clear up a few things, meaning let's talk specifically and because there's some misunderstanding, of course you can clear up the room after a party, or you can clear up the rubbish that you've left pile up for some period of time.
But here we're talking about the clarification of ideas or thoughts or discussions, and this is where we have some misunderstanding.
And we're not both on the same page, as we say, or we're not both singing from the same hymn sheet, which are typical english, british english expressions.
To be on the same page means to understand each other.
To be singing from the same hymn sheet has the exact same meaning.
So when we want to ask for clarification, we can use these expressions.
Well, what exactly are you saying?
So you're asking straight to the point, what exactly are you saying?
Or what are you suggesting?
Or basically you're saying something, or I don't quite follow, or come again?
Okay, so let's give you some examples of those.
So here we're asking for clarification.
What are you saying?
Do you mean that we should rewrite this particular program?