Before I tell you my story, you need to know that a "crown wheel and pinion" is a piece of equipment from a motor vehicle's engine (see image at left). A "Crown Law opinion" is a legal opinion from the Crown Law Department. I worked at the Traffic Accident Investigation Squad where we often sought crown law opinions about cases.
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So, I was a police officer working with a friend. He said to me, "I want to go and get a crown wheel and pinion from Spinks Auto".
We hopped into the police car and I drove off in the direction of the city (Brisbane, Australia) and he said, "Where are you going, that's the wrong way?"
I said, "Not it's not, the Crown Law Office is in the city."
He said, "I don't want to go to the Crown Law Office, I want to go to Spinks Auto to pick up a crown wheel and pinion I have ordered ... it's the other way."
I said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you wanted a crown law opinion."
The lesson: Even when you are a native speaker and very literate, you still have to LISTEN!
Comments
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing with us.
Your blogs make me compare my mother tongue with yours and find similarities. It's interesting, and gives me hopes on my path of learning English. Thanks.
:)
Have a great time.
Oh my dear....What a great lesson! You know my level of English, right? So...one day, if you come back again my country and meet me...please don't mind if I always say : pardon me...hahaha...
This is such a big advice for inexperienced learners of English. Sincerely, I need to pay more attention to what I listen in English, because a good reply starts with a good understanding of what we listen. Thanks for sharing wonderful story Robinoz!! I hope that come much more stories like that !
Sometimes we just want to hear what we thought we want.