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原帖由 冰城来的男孩子 于 2010-2-3 20:26 发表
I got a prize today. It was for my good grades.

I got a prize for my good scores

First time to see such a lovely and brave boy to record his study and daily activities in a language other than his mother tongue, despite he is only 8 years old. Excellent!

The more errors you make during your English writing practice, the faster you will grow along the language learning curve.

Keep going, kid..

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原帖由 冰城来的男孩子 于 2010-2-6 15:45 发表
Thank you!
Happy Chinese New Year to you and your family.

Happy Chinese New Year to you and your family Too, Kid!.

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原帖由 冰城来的男孩子 于 2010-2-6 17:02 发表
My Mom is going to her company's annual dinner tonight. There will be a lucky draw. It must be very funny. It's a shame I can't go, as I have to go swimming.

My mom will go to her company's annual party this evening (this evening is more accurate). It must be very exciting as there will be lucky draws(should be more than one draw, right?) What a pity that I can't go with my mom because I have to go swimming this afternoon. (Never use the word of "Shame").

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原帖由 不二周助 于 2010-2-8 10:27 发表
为什么不能用What a shame？我认为What a shame是对的，等同于What a pity，在这里的意思就是很遗憾很可惜。说What a shame的人很多的。

Hello,

I just looked up the meaning of the phrase "What a shame" at online dictionaries, and found that I can't agree with your explanation. Because the word "Shame" is a very emotional expression for mistakes or wrongdoings. Unless not going with the kid's mom to her annual party would result in serious consequences to the kid (e.g. the kid had been keenly longing for the party for considerable times before he got to know the disappointing news, and he tasted the pain bitterly). Actually, the kid had something else to do, and, not going to the party was unfortunate for him, but still it was not a big deal. Therefore, it is inappropriate to use the emotional phrase here. Here is the link for the word explanation. http://answers.ask.com/Health/Mental/what_is_shame

I guess the phrase could be pretty common in articles by Chinese. But I don't see this word very ofter in any Western publications, newspaper, magazine, etc.

My one cent.

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原帖由 yangbaobaobaba 于 2010-2-8 21:05 发表


Hello,

I just looked up the meaning of the phrase "What a shame" at online dictionaries, and found that I can't agree with your explanation. Because the word "Shame" is a very emotional expres ...

very often.

Hello,

I think that we have gone too far from the origin of the topic. Here is my last reply to your further question.  

Read your example, I think that the teacher's reaction is correct, because in Western countries, it is quite natural for young kids to bring some small gifts, no matter how expense or cheap might be, to their mom/dad to express their affections to their parents / grand parents, when there is a good opportunity arises, e.g. excursion, camp, etc. The teacher might thought that it would be shameful / embarrassing  that a kid hadn't  shared something happy with their families / close friends by just mailing a postcard. It is also weird that a kid didn't do so because his mom told him that she didn't need it. Even in my point of view, the mom's approach is a little bit unorthodoxy. That's why the teacher used the phrase, not the phrase "what a pity", I guess.

What a shame if the kid hadn't gone to his mom's birthday party for whatever reason might be, and what a pity for the kid to miss her mom's company party because he had other things to do. My understanding..