Many people have asked the same. Much as I’d like to, I don’t have ready access to American speakers when I record my lessons. I work from my apartment. Just me and the family here. Perhaps one day in the future if my site takes off.

I have tried mailing people scripts and waiting for them to come back, but that never really fit with my work schedule.

Just want to thank Andy for posting the brilliant ‘Going for an English’ sketch. I really think that sketch should be played as part of culture studies in every school – it says more about so-called ‘soft’ racism than a thousand well-meaning cultural awareness lessons ever could.

There can me articles before “hospital”:

“Quick! Get him to a hospital.” (Any hospital will do.)
“Quick! Get him to the hospital.” (There’s only one and speaker and listener know this.)

Both instances above refer to hospital as a building. Where there is no article is where hospital is used as an activity / event. “I’m going to hospital” places in our minds examinations, operations, stays, etc. Similar uses include “go to church” and “go to bed”.

More at http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/english-as-a-second-language/definite-article (see the “Special uses of articles” section near the bottom of the page).

Hope this helps

ex-pat

I think many adjectives and adverbs are becoming interchangeable for many Brits too. I hear “You did good” and “I’m good” more and more from my compatriots. I use the latter one a lot

I don’t think the nuance and irregularity of English will ever disappear. If anything it will get more complicated with all the different cultures speaking it. I’ve never bought into the idea that a language can be broken down into pure functionality like you hear now and then in some LF circles.

Course, it would make our lives a hell of a lot easier if things like spelling and irregular verbs were standardized in some way, but it’ll never happen.

Going for a curry is one of my favourite things in life. I also like going for a kebab and the occasional pizza.

It seems the “going for a” + “name of food” pattern is limited to a small number of non-English takeaway items, but excludes English delicacies like fish and chips / pie, mash ‘n’ liquor / jellied eels.

Although having said that, can’t you go for a sandwich?

I have more than a sneaking suspicion Americans are using English incorrectly, particularly when it comes to adverbs
Sadly, you may well be right, Nick. It’s a pity so much of the fun stuff is disappearing.

Will it make teaching language easier if such nuance and irregularity disappear?

Will it come to this several decades hence – teachers teaching eat / eated / eated?