Ask Kat: buggy bugs

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Kooper
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註冊時間: 週三 4月 11, 2007 11:40 pm

Ask Kat: buggy bugs

文章 Kooper »

Dear Kat,

How have you been? I heard that Thanksgiving is around the corner. There must have been an exciting holiday atmosphere all over your town, mustn't it? :ssmile: (BTW, can I use "mustn't it" here?)

My daughter is reading a picture book on bugs. In each page there is a drawing and few words about bugs, such as "I like bugs.", "Round bugs.", "Shiny bugs.", "Fat bugs.", and "Buggy bugs.", etc. The drawing at the page of "Buggy bugs." is a mantis standing on the top of a boy's head with a big smile on its face. The boy looks slightly startled by the mantis but doesn't look scared.

I failed to find any definition of buggy that could fit the drawing and the contents here. Could you explain what does "buggy bugs" mean here?

Thanks a lot ~
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Kat C
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註冊時間: 週三 9月 08, 2010 10:31 am

Re: Ask Kat: buggy bugs

文章 Kat C »

Dear Kooper,

Thanksgiving is not even here yet and people have actually rolled out the Christmas stuff! There's simply no escaping hollidays. :roll: We'll do turkey and (American) football, the two big rituals of Thanksgiving.

For your first question, you can say, "mustn't there?" But most people would just tag on a "right?" The first rule for American English: KISS! :lol:

It's great that your daughter is reading English. It would be really effective if she can watch some kids TV shows as well (like Sesame Street). As for "buggy bugs", here "buggy" can mean "crazy" or "wacky", or it can simply be "very bug-like', meaning this bug is REALLY like a bug, having effects bugs typically do on people.

Hope this helps and Happy Thanksgiving!

Kat
Kooper
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註冊時間: 週三 4月 11, 2007 11:40 pm

Re: Ask Kat: buggy bugs

文章 Kooper »

Hi Kat,

Thank you for answering my question. It's really helpful! :sun:

As a matter of fact, I do consider letting my daughter watch some Sesame Street. I'll first try to get some episodes. :ssmile:

I have one more question about the word "buggy." Is it common to use buggy to describe a person, a dog, or a cat that you consider crazy? I mean, if I describe someone as a buggy person, is there a chance that I might confuse my audience?
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Kat C
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註冊時間: 週三 9月 08, 2010 10:31 am

Re: Ask Kat: buggy bugs

文章 Kat C »

Hi Kooper,

I "have thought about" "having" my daughter watch some Sesame Street "too". :)

If you do "I have considered" then you'd follow it by saying something like, "but I don't really want her to watch too much TV...", etc. You decided against what you have considered.

If you say, "I am considering having my daughter watch Sesame Street," the idea would have come from (or have been first mentioned by) you instead of me. If you say, "I've been considering having my daughter watch Sesame Street," the decision would sound like a difficult or serious one for you.

Tenses sometimes change not only the meaning but also the feelings expressed by a narrative. It can be tricky at times. :)

"Buggy" is a bit too cute for adults to use. It's also a tad old. "Wacky" is a lot better. The caption is a clever play on words and it's good for that. But people don't use it that much anymore (except referring to a type of vehicle).

You're very welcome. I'll work on the proofreading (after Thanksgiving! :) ) It's great to see someone so into learning the language. All the effort you put in will eventually pay off. Have your daughter start early - CDs, TV shows, and talking to native speakers if it's feasible. :)

Kat
最後由 Kat C 於 週四 11月 25, 2010 1:02 am 編輯,總共編輯了 1 次。
Kooper
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文章: 2725
註冊時間: 週三 4月 11, 2007 11:40 pm

Re: Ask Kat: buggy bugs

文章 Kooper »

Hi Kat,

Thanks for pointing out errors in my reply. Please don't hesitate to do it whenever you find one. :ssmile:

I guess what I was trying to say is "I have considered having my daughter watch Sesame Street, but I haven't had the chance to check it out myself."
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Kat C
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註冊時間: 週三 9月 08, 2010 10:31 am

Re: Ask Kat: buggy bugs

文章 Kat C »

I'd still use "I have thought about" in place of "I have considered" here, since you haven't really done all that much deliberation. :wink:
kellyj994
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註冊時間: 週二 12月 14, 2010 12:07 pm

Re: Ask Kat: buggy bugs

文章 kellyj994 »

Kat C 寫:Dear Kooper,

Thanksgiving is not even here yet and people have actually rolled out the Christmas stuff! There's simply no escaping hollidays. :roll: We'll do turkey and (American) football, the two big rituals of Thanksgiving.

For your first question, you can say, "mustn't there?" But most people would just tag on a "right?" The first rule for American English: KISS! :lol:

It's great that your daughter is reading English. It would be really effective if she can watch some kids TV shows as well (like Sesame Street). As for "buggy bugs", here "buggy" can mean "crazy" or "wacky", or it can simply be "very bug-like', meaning this bug is REALLY like a bug, having effects bugs typically do on people.

Hope this helps and Happy Thanksgiving!

Kat
Thanks you for the post.

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Kat C
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註冊時間: 週三 9月 08, 2010 10:31 am

Re: Ask Kat: buggy bugs

文章 Kat C »

You're welcome, Kelly.
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