This is called Ask Alisha.
That's me.
I'm Alisha.
You have asked me things.
I will now attempt to answer them.
Hehe.
Hi everybody, welcome back to Ask Alisha, the weekly series where you ask me questions
and I answer them.
Maybe!
First question!
First question this week comes from Van.
Hi, Van.
Van says: Could you please tell me the meaning of "smush"?
Thanks.
Yeah, sure!
Um, "smush" is a verb.
Smush is a very casual verb.
Its meaning is: to gently crush (something).
So, maybe you know the verb "smash"?
To smash something (like "Hulk Smash," for example) – that means like, to violently
crush something.
To smush something, however, means like to gently crush something.
We use the verb "smush" a lot with things that are kind of soft, or it's like easy to
change their shape.
So, for example, food items, like dough, or maybe herbs – you want to smush herbs, like
if you're making cocktails, you want to smush them.
Uh, we also use this for body parts sometimes, like if we injure ourselves a little bit.
Let's look at some examples.
I smushed a bug!
She smushed her finger in the door.
He smushed his lips together as he thought.
So I hope that helps you understand "smush."
Yeah, very casual verb.
Thanks for the question!
Next question!
Next question comes from Isik Alexander.
Hi again, Isik Isik says: What's the difference between "in
time" and "on time"?
Okay, uh, right.
Good question.
In time is used for things that happen in specified time periods, so there's like a
cutoff; there's some kind of deadline.
You have to do the action inside (in) a certain time.
Examples: I made it to the airport in time for my flight.
She finished work in time to catch a movie.
We didn't get to the beach in time to watch the fireworks.
So, in each of these example sentences, there's a limited period of time within which each
activity can be accomplished.
So, now let's look at "on time."
On time means an activity happens at a scheduled or determined time.
That means before the conversation, there's like a schedule that has been set, and the
activity happens exactly at that time.
Examples: He arrived at the office on time.
I finished work on time today.
The movie didn't start on time.
So, let's combine these in an example situation.
Our 10 am meeting started on time.
Unfortunately, the coffee and donuts we ordered for the meeting didn't arrive in time due
to traffic.
So, here we see the meeting, which was scheduled, uh, began on time.
Exactly on time.
However, the coffee and donuts that we ordered did not arrive in time for the meeting.
Meaning the meeting is like the cutoff point or the deadline point.
And the coffee and donuts do not arrive before that cutoff point.
So, there was traffic; unfortunately, it didn't work out.
I hope that helps you!
Thanks very much for the question.
Okay, let's go to the next question.
Next question comes from Harley.
Hi again, Harley.
Harley says: Hi Alisha, please help me with this.
When or how can I use the word "over"?
As in: over and over again, over there, over the vacation, game over.
Hope you can help me.
Yeah.
This is a big question.
Actually, "over" has lots of meanings, so I might make a whiteboard video about some
different ways to use "over."
For now, let's look at a quick introduction to these examples that you introduced for
us.
Let's start with "over there" or "over here."
So, we use "over there" and "over here" when we're talking about something that's far from
the speaker or far from the listener.
So, for example: (Where's my bag?)
It's over there.
...means it's far from the speaker.
If someone says: (Where's the restaurant?)
Ah, it's over here! ...it's close to the speaker.
So, typically when we use "over here" and "over there," there's some, like gesture,
or there's some kind of like visual aid so that the speaker and listener can understand
which person the "over" is kind of relative to.
So, if I say, "your bag is over there," and I point in this direction, it means it's far
from me; it's close to you.
If someone asks a question like, "where are my keys?"
And I say, "oh, they're over here!"
They're over here!
It means it's near me, therefore far from you.
So, that's the way we use "over" in terms of "over here" and "over there."
Your next one, about "over and over again," means "repeatedly."
Like, we have to do the same thing over and over again!
Or, we had to revise our text over and over again!
It means doing something repeatedly, and usually we don't want to do that thing repeatedly.
It sounds like it's troublesome or bothersome.
Like, frustrating.
So, we use "over and over again" for repeated actions.
Things that just aren't very much fun to do, usually.
The other one; the third one that you talked about: "over the weekend," or "over the vacation"
or "over the holiday."
This just means "during."
So, for example: I went to some museums over the holiday.
Or, what did you do over the vacation?
It means "during" that time period.
Finally, uh, you introduced the expression "game over."
Game over means game ended; game finished.
Um, so, "over" sometimes means "end" or "finished."
If you've watched like, police shows, crime shows, dramas, that kind of thing, you might
hear sometimes people (especially police officers) speaking into, like, a communications device.
And when they finish, they say "over."
That "over" means "end."
I'm done talking.
So, "game over" means your game has finished.
Usually it's used when you die.
So, those are a few quick introductions to how to use the word "over."
I hope that helps, but yeah, I'll try to make a whiteboard video to explain some of the
other uses of "over."
Thanks very much for the question!
Next questiooon!
Next question comes from Emilija.
Hi, Emilija.
Emilija says: Hi Alisha, could you please explain when we should use plural and singular
forms of "year" or "month"?
For example, how should I say "2 year/years later"?
2-year/s-old boy?
I'm traveling for 2 month/s.
What is the difference here?
Ah yeah, this is a great question, and it's a small point that is easy to fix.
The rule is: When you are using some number and a time period, like year, or month, or
hour – When you use those together before a noun, it's like an adjective phrase.
In those cases, use the singular form.
Examples: A 2-year-old boy.
A 3-hour meeting.
A 2-month trip.
So that means when you are not using it before a noun as an adjective phrase, you can use
the plural form.
For example: He is 2 years old.
The meeting was 3 hours!
I'm traveling for 2 months.
Both are common; you can choose whichever you prefer.
But great question!
Thank you!
Let's move on to the next question.
Next question comes from Mustafa Salman.
Hi, Mustafa.
Mustafa says: I'm confused between these two expressions: "you and me" and "you and I."
Are both of them correct?
Is one wrong?
I'm not sure.
Where can I use these two words?
Uh, great!
Okay, yeah.
Nice question.
And actually, native speakers make mistakes with this because they're trying not to make
mistakes.
It's kinda funny.
ANYWAY, the simple answer is "you and I"—that expression, that phrase—"you and I" is used
when that's the subject of your sentence, or the subject of your clause.
"You and me" is used when it's the object of the clause.
Let's look at some examples: You and I passed the test!
You and I should try to study every day.
So, "you and me" is correct when this phrase is the object of the sentence.
Examples: They should have talked to you and me about
this!
She told you and me the same thing, right?
So, a great way to test if you're correct with sentences like these is to remove "you
and" from the sentence.
If the remaining sentence is grammatically correct, you made the right choice.
In our previous examples, if we remove "you and" from each of these, to test, let's take
a look at the results.
It becomes: I passed the test.
I should try to study every day.
They should have talked to me about this.
She told me the same thing, right?
These are examples of how we can test to see if we're correct.
So, this rule it's a perfect rule, but it is a pretty good hint you can use; a pretty
good trick you can use to try to decide if you've made the right choice or not.
So, I hope that helps you!
So, those are all the questions that I have for this week.
Thank you, as always, for sending your awesome questions.
Remember to send them to me at Englishclass101.com/ask-alisha.
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Thank you very much for watching this week's episode of Ask Alisha, and I will see you
again next week!
Bye bye!