Speak Better English with Harry | Episode 12

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• 00:10

  Hi there.

• 00:10

  This is Harry, and welcome back to the audio podcast where we're trying to help you and assist you in learning English.

• 00:18

  As always, I'm going to read the sentence that I have for you twice.

• 00:21

  First time for you to get a general understanding, and the second time to give you some meaning behind the sentence.

• 00:28

  I'll give you my details for contact purposes later.

• 00:31

  So if you're ready, let's begin.

• 00:33

  First reading, Steve could only go on holiday because his best mate gave him the money.

• 00:42

  Second reading, Steve could only go on holiday because his best mate gave him the money.

• 00:48

  Okay, so this, in comparison to the first sentence, this one is very informal.

• 00:55

  Okay, we're still using a modal verb, so it doesn't matter whether it's formal or informal.

• 01:02

  We can still use them, but the context and the tone and intonation in this particular sentence is all informal.

• 01:10

  So, Steve, this again, it's a shortened version of somebody's name.

• 01:16

  So again, informal could only.

• 01:18

  Yeah, could only go.

• 01:21

  So again, could.

• 01:22

  Followed by the bare infinitive, could only go on holiday.

• 01:34

  So where could he only go?

• 01:35

  He could only go on holiday.

• 01:37

  And why?

• 01:38

  Because his best mate.

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