Tai Upint Swearing

"When angry, count to a hundred; when very angry, swear.
"
Mark Twain
Discussion What would you say?

Work in pairs and compare your answers to the Would you swear in the following situations? What
following questions: would you say?
1. H o w often d o y o u swear? 1. Y o u take some milk o u t o f the fridge, but
2. W h a t swear words d o y o u use m o s t often? d r o p it o n the floor.
3. Are there any swear words y o u w o u l d never 2. Y o u are carrying t w o pints o f beer in a bar. ,/'
,
use? Why? Someone bumps i n t o y o u a n d y o u spill the beer
4. In w h a t situations w o u l d y o u t r y t o avoid d o w n y o u r trousers.
swearing? 3. Y o u miss the bus t o w o r k b y a few seconds.
5. A r e y o u ever offended, upset o r annoyed w h e n 4. Somebody drives i n t o the back o f y o u r b r a n d
other people swear? n e w car.
5. Your phone bill is double the n o r m a l amount.
Read the articles below. Tick (J)the true sentences.

1. M a r t h a Johnson was sacked f r o m her job.
A BIG SPLASH
2. Mr Slater feels t h a t he has t o swear a t w o r k .
The bad language used by John
3. John Ashford was arrested f o r swearing. Ashford as he fell out of his
4. H e is going t o jail f o r 90 days. sailing boat into a river in
Michigan has landed him in big
trouble. He appeared
. . in court
for breaking a 100-year-old state
PART OF HIS PERSONALITY something about the awful
law which forbids swearing in
A sales executive has taken her language. At least now I am in a
front of women and children.
ex-boss to an industrial court place where people show respect
Families were picnicking nearby
claiming that his swearing forced for each other."
when the accident happened.
her to quit her job. For over six Mr Slater told the court that bad
months Martha Johnson. 43. put language was part of his His defence team argued that
up with the foul language of Jack standards over the years have
personality and also common in
Slater, managing director of a changed and that it i s now
transport company, and his the transport business. "I can't
perfectly acceptable t o swear in
deputy, D~~~~~wiggins. ~ ~ stop
t hswearing," he said. "I'm the extreme circumstances, such as
men swear continually, the court fucking boss. M Y workers would
falling into a river.
was told. all think I was fucking soft if I
M r Ashford, who faces up to 90
Yesterday Ms Johnson of swearing."
days i n jail and a $100 fine, was
Worthing, Sussex, who has During the hearing the judge had
caught by two sheriff's deputies.
recently taken up a new job, said: to warn Mr Slater several times
They were fishing from the side
"I had a really wonderful job with about his language. t h e case
of the river when he fell in.
the company but I just had to do continues tomorrow.
Discussion
Work in pairs or small groups. Discuss these questions about the texts above.
D o you think M a r t h a Johnson was over-reacting? I f so, w h a t d o y o u think she should have done?
D o you think Mr Ashford should be in c o u r t ? I f not, w h a t d o y o u think should have happened?
8 Swearing Taboos and Issues

Language
Look at the sentence below from the second text: Now make true sentences using some of the
expressions from examples 1 - 4.
It is now perfectly acceptable to swear in
extreme circumstances. 1.Most people I know find swearing . . . .
In these sentences one of the words in italics is 2. My mother / father thinks swearing is . . . .
wrong. Cross it out. 3. There are one or two words which I find . . . .
1. Swearing in certain situations is completely 4. Swearing at someone in a public place is . . . .
unacceptablelrudelinappropriate. 5. I think it is . . . . to swear when you are really
2. I found his language deeply upsetting/ annoyed about something.
offensivelobscenelshocking.
6. If the Prime Minister swore on TV, I would
3. Using that kind of language is perfectly
acceptablelOKlgood in some situations. find it . . . .
4. Some words that people use are actually very Work in pairs and compare your answers.
funnylrudelterrible.
Discussion
Discuss the statements below. Do you agree or not? Why?
1. Swearing can be creative and expressive.
2. It's useful to be able to swear in English.
3. It's difficult to know how to use English swear words.
4. You can sound silly if you swear in English.
5. People who swear a lot are just uneducated.
6. Children should be taught that swearing is wrong.
7. You can upset people by saying 'Jesus Christ'.
8. People shouldn't use swear words in the street. "Er . . . mind i f we swear?"
Language Discussion
The list below shows that swear words vary in Which of the words and expressions opposite
strength. Different people of different ages find have'you used or would you use?
some words more offensive than others. Here is a Are you offended when people use religious words
rough guide to some of the most common English as swear words?
swear words and expressions:
Do you know of anybody who has got into trouble
Weaker Stronger by swearing?
Damn! He's a real shit. Most English swear words are connected with sex
Blast! Shit! or the body. Is this the same in your language?
Hell! Piss off!
Bloody hell! Bastard!
It was bloody awful! Bitch!
Crap! Bollocks!
Avoiding swear words
It was really crap! He's a total wanker! Native speakers often avoid swearing by using
other similar-sounding words. What do you think
Bullshit! He's a stupid prick.
the following examples avoid?
He's a real dickhead. He's an arsehole!
1. He told me to F off!
Taboo-strength: Fuck off! 2. It's flipping cold, isn't it?
Religious swear words can offend much more than 3. Not bleeding likely!
words connected with sex, body parts or bodily 4. Oh, sugar!
functions. Using God, Jesus Christ or Christ 5. P off!
Almighty will greatly offend some people. 6. He's a real B!
Taboos and Issues Swearing 8

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"When angry, count to a hundred; when very angry, swear.

Discussion What would you say?

Read the articles below. Tick (J)the true sentences.

8 Swearing Taboos and Issues

Taboos and Issues Swearing 8

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