KNOW YOUR ENGLISH

 KNOW YOUR ENGLISH BY K. SUBRAMANIAN & S. UPENDRAN

COURTESY: THE HINDU NEWSPAPER OF MARCH 28, 2025

MEANING OF FOLLOWING PHRASES: 

1. Seen you coming 

2. Had Had 

3. Enjoy to play tennis or Enjoy planning tennis 

4. Talking Shop

 

Explanations: 

1. "Seen you coming" is an idiomatic expression meaning 'cheated'.

 Examples: 

1. You paid ₹ 20 for those tomatoes. The vendor must have seen you coming. 

2. Ganesh bought the house for ₹ 10 lakh. The real estate agent must have seen you coming.

 

2. Had Had 

Explanations: 

When Ganesh came at 9.00, I had had my dinner - It means I had my dinner before Ganesh came, before 9 O' Clock.

 

3. Enjoy to play tennis or Enjoy playing tennis 

The word 'enjoy' is not followed by the word 'to'. 

Hence ' Enjoy to play tennis' is wrong and instead, 'Enjoy playing tennis' is correct.

4. Talking Shop 

Explanations: When people who work together, 'talk shop', they talk to one another about their work. 

 

WHAT CHATGPT SAYS ABOUT THESE 4 PHRASES:

A. The phrase "seen you coming" is often used informally to suggest that someone was easily deceived, tricked, or taken advantage of. It implies that the person was an easy target for a scam, overcharging, or manipulation.

Example Usage:

1.    In a shopping scenario:

o    "That vendor charged you double the price—he must have seen you coming!"
(The vendor realized you were an easy target and took advantage of you.)

2.    In a business deal:

o    "You paid so much for that car? They definitely saw you coming."
(The seller knew you were unaware of the real value and overcharged you.)

B. The difference between "had" and "had had" lies in their grammatical usage:

1. "Had" (Simple Past Tense)

• It is used to describe past possession, experiences, or actions.
• Example:
• She had a great time at the party. (She enjoyed the party in the past.)
• He had a big house. (He owned a big house in the past.)

2. "Had had" (Past Perfect Tense)

• It indicates that something happened before another past event.
• It is often used to clarify the sequence of past events.
• Example:
• Before moving to New York, she had had a job in Chicago. (She first had a job in Chicago, then moved to New York.)
• I had had breakfast before they arrived. (I ate breakfast first, then they arrived.)

Key Difference:

• "Had" refers to a simple past event.
• "Had had" is used when emphasizing that one past event happened before another past event.

• Yes! "Talking shop" refers to discussing work-related topics, often in a casual or social setting where others might not be interested. For example, if two doctors meet at a party and start discussing medical cases, they're "talking shop."
• It can sometimes be seen as impolite in social gatherings if others can't relate, but among colleagues, it’s a natural way to share insights and experiences.

Here are some examples of how to use "talk shop" in sentences:

1.    At a party:
"I tried to enjoy the evening, but my colleagues kept talking shop about the latest office project."

2.    Among professionals:
"Whenever the two engineers meet, they can't help but talk shop about the newest technology in AI."

3.    In a casual setting:
"Let's not talk shop during dinner—let's just relax and have fun!"

4.    At a conference:
"The networking event was great; we had a chance to talk shop with industry experts."