Sure as Heck
2024-02-17
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1Hello! Welcome to Ask a Teacher.
2This week, we answer a question that relates not just to language, but also politeness and foreign policy.
3It comes from Hai in Vietnam. He writes,
4I would highly appreciate it if you could let me know the meaning of this phrase: "It sure as heck ain't good."
5Hai, Vietnam.
6Dear Hai,
7Thank you for writing to us and providing a link to the place where you read the sentence.
8The quote that you asked about is from a January 31 press conference at the White House.
9The Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, invited spokesman John Kirby to answer questions from reporters.
10One reporter said the European Union had recently offered to give Ukraine only half of what it had been promised.
11The reporter asked:
12How bad is all this for the Ukrainian forces and do you see an impact on the battlefield already?
13Kirby gave this answer:
14It sure as heck ain't good.
15And this is why we need the supplemental funding.
16There are three things an English learner needs to know to understand Kirby's answer.
17The first one has to do with the language that Kirby used.
18"Heck" is in the class of words called euphemisms.
19They are words or expressions people use instead of saying something that might be offensive or could sound uneducated.
20"Heck" is a euphemism for the word "hell."
21Kirby, like most government officials, is trying to use more formal language, but he also wants to bring attention to the serious nature of the problem.
22So, he uses "heck" instead of "hell," a word that is much stronger.
23"Hell," in many religions, is a very unpleasant place where bad people go.
24The second thing learners need to know is the short form, "ain't."
25The contraction "ain't" is usually a short form of "am not," but it can also mean "is not" or "are not" as well as "have not" or "has not."
26In our example, Kirby could have said, "It is not good."
27Like most informal contractions, we must tell you it is best to avoid "ain't" in all writing for school or work and in speech.
28For more information, see our Everyday Grammar on this subject, This Ain't It and Other Short Forms.
29Kirby said: "It sure as heck ain't good. And this is why we need the supplemental funding."
30The United States Congress must approve all spending by the U.S. government.
31A supplemental funding request can be made to ask Congress to approve additional spending that has not been provided for in earlier spending legislation.
32I hope this helps you understand Kirby's comments, Hai.
33What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
34And that's Ask a Teacher.
35I'm Jill Robbins.
1Hello! Welcome to Ask a Teacher. This week, we answer a question that relates not just to language, but also politeness and foreign policy. It comes from Hai in Vietnam. He writes, 2Question: 3I would highly appreciate it if you could let me know the meaning of this phrase: "It sure as heck ain't good." 4Hai, Vietnam. 5Answer: 6Dear Hai, 7Thank you for writing to us and providing a link to the place where you read the sentence. The quote that you asked about is from a January 31 press conference at the White House. The Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, invited spokesman John Kirby to answer questions from reporters. One reporter said the European Union had recently offered to give Ukraine only half of what it had been promised. The reporter asked: 8How bad is all this for the Ukrainian forces and do you see an impact on the battlefield already? 9Kirby gave this answer: 10It sure as heck ain't good. And this is why we need the supplemental funding. 11There are three things an English learner needs to know to understand Kirby's answer. The first one has to do with the language that Kirby used. 12Heck 13"Heck" is in the class of words called euphemisms. They are words or expressions people use instead of saying something that might be offensive or could sound uneducated. "Heck" is a euphemism for the word "hell." Kirby, like most government officials, is trying to use more formal language, but he also wants to bring attention to the serious nature of the problem. So, he uses "heck" instead of "hell," a word that is much stronger. "Hell," in many religions, is a very unpleasant place where bad people go. 14Ain't 15The second thing learners need to know is the short form, "ain't." The contraction "ain't" is usually a short form of "am not," but it can also mean "is not" or "are not" as well as "have not" or "has not." In our example, Kirby could have said, "It is not good." 16Like most informal contractions, we must tell you it is best to avoid "ain't" in all writing for school or work and in speech. For more information, see our Everyday Grammar on this subject, This Ain't It and Other Short Forms. 17Supplemental 18Kirby said: "It sure as heck ain't good. And this is why we need the supplemental funding." The United States Congress must approve all spending by the U.S. government. A supplemental funding request can be made to ask Congress to approve additional spending that has not been provided for in earlier spending legislation. 19I hope this helps you understand Kirby's comments, Hai. 20What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com 21And that's Ask a Teacher. 22I'm Jill Robbins. 23Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 24____________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26politeness - n. the quality of being mindful of the feelings of others 27impact - n. influence or effect 28supplemental - adj. something added to another thing in order to increase or improve it 29contraction - n. a shortened form of a word or words 30Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.