SLANG

What is SLANG and how can you use it in your daily conversations?

A slang word or term is often adopted by different groups of people and spreads from one city to another. Among English speakers, there are many reasons why people use slang – and often it enriches the language. It could be used just for fun or to be witty or clever. Or it could be used as a form of expression – to be different or controversial. Although common among young people, it is used by people of all ages.

While some slang terms are making their way into the English language from the internet, others may appear as brand new words, a new meaning for an existing word, or a word that becomes more generalised than its former meaning. And it isn’t a new thing – every decade has had slang terms or phrases appear during that time. Although, because etymology (the study of the origin of words) is as much an art as it is a science, it can be difficult to accurately pinpoint the exact time that a particular piece of English slang came into use.

When using English slang, it’s important to know that some terms have become commonplace among all groups of people of all ages. These include “blimey” (an exclamation of surprise), “budge up” (move along to make some room) and “have a flutter” (place a bet).

However, some words used by younger people are the kinds of words you need to know if you want to be thought of as cool – even though it may appear a completely different language!

Here we present our guide to some of the newest English slang…

Snatched: Move over “fleek” – this is the new way to describe anything that looks really good or “on point”. Anything from your eyebrows to your clothes can look snatched.

Lit: If some thing is really good, then it’s “lit”. Again, this can refer to anything from a concert or a TV show to an outfit.

Cancel: An English word that usually means to decide that a planned event will not take place. But now you can use it to refer to anything you don’t like. “Would you like vegetables with dinner?” “CANCEL!”

High-key/low-key: High-key refers to something needing to be said out loud. Low-key is the opposite. Both can refer to an intense like/dislike.



Source: Pearson English