English Life

say your name

Can you say your name please?

When you 'say your name' you tell someone what your name is or how to pronounce it.  This would usually happen the first time you meet someone or in a classroom situation.  Notice the following:

1. What nationality is your family?  How do you say your name?
   
2. Please say your name after the beep.
   

south-east

Redding is south-east of London.

When we are giving the location of a place we use north, south, east and west.  'South-east' would be in the direction between south and east, or down and to the right if you are looking at a map with north pointing up.  Notice the following:

1. They are going to build a house on the south-east part of the property.
   
2. The lake is three hours north-west of here.
   

hometown

What is your hometown like?

Your 'hometown' is either the place where you were born or where you lived while you were growing up.  Notice the following:

1. Was your hometown a city or a town?
   
2. I haven't visited my hometown in years.
   

not quite a city

Redding is not quite a city, but it's big.

If someplace is 'not quite a city' it isn't as big as a city, but it's bigger than a town. We can use the phrase 'not quite' in front of a noun to show that something is similar, but not exactly the same.  Notice the following:

1. It's not quite a hot day.
   
2. It's not quite an hour to my house from hers.
   

spacious

My hometown is spacious and not as crowded as Tokyo.

If a place is 'spacious' it has open spaces and room to move around easily.  Notice the following:

1. Their house is very spacious with a lot of windows.
   
2. This car is much more spacious than mine.