Some English questions I'd like to ask [new questions added]

[BeijingSlacker]

[JUST ADDED]

Hi, folks, I've got two new questions.

I know that the phrase "out of my/your league" are often used when talking about dating, meaning "too good for me/you".

I am wondering if it is common or good to use this phrase to mean "beyond my ability".

For example, can I say "Oh man, can't help you there. this(writing poems in English) is way out of my league. I have never even written a poem in Chinese."

Another question:

Sometimes when people compliment on my spoken English (it is not that good, maybe just better than most ESL students), my response is "thanks. It's not really good, but I get by" or simply " I get by" (deponds on what they say). I am not sure how the "I get by" part sounds. I like the meaning of it, but I am thinking there must some better way of saying it.

CHEERS

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Are there any differences between the following two sentences? (if both are correct)

-He is not in a/the position to do that.

-He is not at a/the position to do that.

If I am asking a coworker of mine if he can do something, say to change the business letter we have been sending out, would it sound good to ask " are you at/in the position to do that? "

I don't want to sound like I am doubting him and I don't want to embarrass him if his ranking in the company is not high enough.

What would you say?

[J.B. Frog]

"are you in the position to do that?" is the better between the choices you gave, but:

"are you in a position to do that?" is better yet.

[HashiriKata]

"He is not in the position to do that."

Is what English speakers would say.

" are you in the position to do that? "

You don't normally ask this question unless you question his authority or ask whether he should do it.

[HashiriKata]

J.B. Frog is also right. Just that we both posted at the same time.

[J.B. Frog]

Sorry, I didn't really understand the situation properly on first reading - 'the' might be better.

But I don't know whether there's a nice way to ask what you want. "Are you sure it wouldn't be better to run that by <your best bet as to who or what department / would have the authority> to do that?" may be not so bad.

[roddy]

I can't think of a situation where we'd use 'in the position to do sth' - I think it would always be 'in a position to do sth'. Maybe if you were comparing a number of different positions or something. Allow me to googustify my self (new word, means to try to prove a point by referring to Google results) if you search for 'in a position' you see a few examples of the use we're talking about in the first 10, while if you search for 'in the position' you see none.

I think you could say 'Are you in a position to XXXX', but I think it's closer to saying 'Can you XXXX?' rather than 'I would like you to XXXX". If you asked me if I was in a position to do something and I said yes, I would be expecting you to then confirm whether you wanted me to do it or not - I wouldn't assume you wanted it done just from the first question.

Assuming you are looking for a delicate way to ask a (subordinate?) coworker to do something, perhaps 'Do you think we could /should . . .?' or 'I'm not sure about YYYYYY, why don't we try XXXXXX'.

I think management in English consists of a lot of asking people if they'd like to do something, your meaning being that you want them to do it. I spent one summer working in a whisky bottling plant in Glasgow when I was at uni, and the line managers there were constantly asking 'Do you want to move those boxes?' or 'Do you want to bring a palette of bottles round?'. These were instructions, not polite queries about your ambitions for the day. One guy once came answered the supervisors 'Do you want to move onto Line 4' with 'No, I'm happy where I am' and was met with 'Let me rephrase that. Do you want to keep your job?'

Roddy

PS Will move into Other Cultures / Languages.

[BeijingSlacker]

Thanks for all the help folks. guess I need to clear this up first.

I thought " Are you in a position to do ###" had two meanings

1. Can you do ###? (as in Roddy's post)

2. Do you have the authority to do ###?

Is this right?

[beirne]

Roddy's post spells out #1 pretty well. If I wanted to know if someone had the authority to do something I would say something like "In your position can you XXX?". I'm going through various forms of usage but every case I can think of for "Are you in a position to do XXX" relates to the person's schedule and workload rather than ranking. While "Are you in a position to do ###" should cover both cases when taken literally in practice it only means the first.

BTW, I'll now whine less next time I come up with difficult usage in Chinese :-)

[J.B. Frog]

BTW, I'll now whine less next time I come up with difficult usage in Chinese :-)

Isn't that the truth. English words have one set of associations so that you use some words in some circumstances and others in others. You see this in Chinese, and it feels weird and arbitrary until you realize that's how English is too, just, the Chinese associations cut a different way.

Beijing Slacker:

2. Do you have the authority to do ###?

'Is it your place to do X?' is the closest I can think to using 'position' in that way - but that's old-fashioned, with strong authoritarian overtones. Certainly there are many politer ways to say it. Your idea is logical enough, your position does determine what you can do. "Does your position entitle you to do that?" is another way to phrase it with position but that's awkward; more direct is "Do you have the authority ...". "I'm not in a position to help you" can refer to authority, but only indirectly, including authority as one of many things that don't allow you to do something. That's a common expression; could that perhaps be the source of your (natural enough) idea of position in that phrase referring to authority?

[BeijingSlacker]

I'm going through various forms of usage but every case I can think of for "Are you in a position to do XXX" relates to the person's schedule and workload rather than ranking. While "Are you in a position to do ###" should cover both cases when taken literally in practice it only means the first.

"I'm not in a position to help you" can refer to authority, but only indirectly, including authority as one of many things that don't allow you to do something.

Exactly what I wanted to know about the useage of "position". thanks folks.

more direct is "Do you have the authority ...".

If I wanted to know if someone had the authority to do something I would say something like "In your position can you XXX?".

Nice. I somehow like how it sounds.

[Wonderland]

I think it's right to ask "do you have the authority" or "are you authorized" [to make changes to the letter?]. (If it's in their job description, they must be authorized to do it.)

However, I don't think I would ever say "in a/the position" [to do something] because there are just too many bad implications and connotations. It immediately sounds like you're asking for a favor based on someone's position or making them sound like they're "politely" copping out from a favor or even that they're too lazy to "change positions" (from sitting down).

And there are sexual innuendos attached to being in "a position" or "the position" (depending on the interpretation and sex of the coworkers).

No matter how good it sounds, you need to use a lot of good judgment if you ever say "in a/the position" because it could sound pretentious, not be direct enough, and it could send the wrong message.

[J.B. Frog]

Quoth Wonderland:

However, I don't think I would ever say "in a/the position" [to do something] because there are just too many bad implications and connotations. It immediately sounds like you're asking for a favor based on someone's position or making them sound like they're "politely" copping out from a favor or even that they're too lazy to "change positions" (from sitting down).

And there are sexual innuendos attached to being in "a position" or "the position" (depending on the interpretation and sex of the coworkers).

Wonderland, you're surely joking! Joking or trolling.

[Wonderland]

Just showing that I care. The question seemed to be sincere and deserved a full answer complete with technical and emotional implications. In this light, I wanted to add what I learned at school in New York in the 1960's.

[BeijingSlacker]

That's quite a lot of information. Thanks a lot, Wonderland and J.B. Frog.

Also, I've got two new questions. I put them in the OP, trying to not start a new thread. Hope people can see it.

Any comments is appreciated.

[wenjing*girl]

I am not sure how the "I get by" part sounds. I like the meaning of it, but I am thinking there must some better way of saying it.

You could say, "It gets me by"

[J.B. Frog]

People would understand 'out of my league' but yes it's not how you'd commonly use it. I don't know if there's a single phrase you'd say; I'd probably say 'beyond me', 'more than I know', 'more than I can do' or for something difficult like nuclear physics, 'that's over my head'. But, it would vary a lot by individual I think.

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'I get by' is ok and it could be either humble or arrogant, depending on the attitude you say it with. To 'get by' means to do the minimum, so, it can be either sort of unambitious sounding or arrogant as in (overtones of) "Doing this isn't worth expending too much effort". There's also 'I manage' or 'I try', or 'Thanks, I'm still learning'. But, I'm probably over analyzing, it would depend strongly on your attitude. 'I get by' is fine really.

[Wonderland]

I don't think it's a good idea to say, "out of my/your league" because it's a one-upmanship (or one-downmanship) that doesn't win, it doesn't sit well with anyone, and can only be inflammatory or self-denigrating. It's more to the truth to simply say in a positive manner, "I don't want to tell you something incorrect" for whatever reason..."I don't feel secure (or confident) in my Chinese-poetry-writing as I'm not into it at the moment and I couldn't do it properly now at the spur of the moment. Sorry...." Jokesters would say, "I might be able to do it, but ONLY if I'm in the right mood."

I just read about Chinese poetry and got curious myself. Chinese: A Complete Course for Beginners, by Elizabeth Scurfield (Teach Yourself) says, "To understand the Chinese, you also have to understand their poetry. People who regularly use poetry in their language also have poetry in their hearts." It sounds neat to have poetry in your heart! What poetry do people use in Chinese conversation?

#2:

In the Western world, people generally don't deny a compliment when someone compliments them because they believe the other's ego goes up along with their own. Even if it's a ploy, it's bad form not to accept a compliment--please see Margery Wilson's books on "charm".

You can legitimately say to others (and to yourself), "Yes, thank you, I have come a long way now that I can make myself understood and get my meaning across. I am very thankful for the progress that I have made (and hope to continue to make) getting around the best I can without falling flat on my face (anymore)! Ha, ha (use a bit of humor to "lighten things up", but not to denigrate yourself, and since noone would think that you would fall on your face this is permissible)!

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/beauty_and_wellness/qa_compliments.jsp

Q

I’m uncomfortable accepting compliments. How can I handle praise more gracefully?

A

Realize that your achievements may serve as a source of inspiration to others, says clinical psychologist Bonnie Jacobson, Ph.D. “When people say something nice, it means they see you as a success and may want to learn from you,” she says. Dismissing your efforts – “Oh, it was nothing” – invalidates your feat. A simple “thank you” or an acknowledgement such as “Yes, I really did put a lot of effort into it” shows that you’ve got self-confidence and are proud of your hard work.