Globish
 

Hi.

I don't need to learn idioms for communication between non-natives.
I feel I can communicate fairly well with ESL (English as a second language) speaking people.
I just have to use Globish** with such people.

**Globish; a simple, dull, idiom-free version of English with a small vocabulary

///////////////////////////

I can understand the news programs of native-English speaking country, because they don't use idioms much. They mainly use formal expressions.

I may communicate with native-English-speaking people, when they regard me as a non-native, and preventing to use idioms.

Yet, I can't understand the conversation between natives, mainly because I don't know idioms or colloquial expressions.
I can't understand TV dramas or movies, mainly because I don't know idioms or colloquial expressions.

Like other non-native English speaking people, I don't like to learn idioms either.
But I have to learn them in order to understand natives' English.
Because they use them.
This is why I started this thread.

No.3 hang on
 

hang on
Meaning; Endure or persevere
Origin; Using one's hands to control something
Example; If you could hang on for one more week, I think we can have it finished by Friday.

..................................
In the movie Batman(1989).
When Joker attacks the museum, Batman holds Bickey Vale's body (Kim Basinger) and they escape from the museum by using a Batman's rope-way like equipment.
Batman says to Bickey, just one word; "Hold on!"
If I remembered it correctly.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
If I hang on to continue this thread, I would become a Master of English!

We should hold on the nuclear power plant disaster, for our bright future.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
I ask a question; Is it possible to use "hang on" in negative form? As in;

Joker couldn't hold on the rope, and fell down into the acid bath.
Joker couldn't hold on the rope radder of the helicopter, and fell down to death.
.........................

Naoto Kan hangs on his present post, and he won't resign.
It is quite a shame from the point of view of Bushido-spirits.
...........................
If you could hang on studying for three more months, you will pass the entrance examination.

we often say "HANG ON" when someone is waiting for us. If they are in a hurry and we want to finish what we are doing-- such as finishing off an essay, we might say: " Hang on a minute- won't be long" meaning we want them to wait for a short time until we have finished what we are doing, So in that context we are asking them to wait a minute or two for us. "Hang on, I want to look in this shop." expecting a friend to wait a minute while they look in the certain shop.

I would not say:
If I hang on to continue this thread, I would become a Master of English!.
If I persevere with this thread Yes if you persevere you will make good progress-- but Hang On is incorrect in this context.

Maybe someone might say "Hang on in there" if you are feeling everything is too much for you-- we might say " Hang on in there, don't give up, you can do it--" sort of thing.

mostly correct Superman.

Okay. You need to learn about ONTO and INTO I think.

He's correct though, isn't he?

I'd say he needs more to learn between "on to" and "onto", having skimmed through what he posted in the quote you provided I can't see where he should have said "into".

It would be more correct to say "A lot of expensive demand notes have arrived for me" but this still sounds awkward. It's more usual to say "I have received a lot of expensive demand notes".

As for "hang on", there are lots of uses. As you might have already seen, some are literal, some aren't-
Pete: What's happened?
Suzie: Bob has fallen off a cliff and is hanging on by his fingers!
Pete: Hang on, Bob! Help is on it's way!

This is literal- Bob has something in his hands (the rocks of the cliff), and Pete is saying 'Don't let go!' or 'Don't fall'.

Bob is rescued from the cliff and then sees Bill with his dog.
"Hold on to the dog's collar, he might bite me." Again, literally 'don't let go'

'Hanging on' is also like being in a state of inaction. Bob can't climb while he's hanging on, and neither can he fall. When Dogsbody asks her friend to 'hang on, wait for me', she's asking her friend to wait in a state of inaction; not going ahead, but not coming back to her either. This is a non-literal use of 'hang on' because the friend has nothing in her hands.

Mum: Hey, hurry up and get off the computer! >[
Me: Hang on, hang on! It's just printing! >P

Sue: Should I put the fish in now?
Anna: Hang on, let me read the recipe.

Sometimes we use it to mean 'stay how you are until this difficult event/thing passes you by.'

Let's go back to Bob. The dog bit him and he's now at the hospital.
Bob: Doctor, it hurts! Please can I have some pain relief?
Doctor: Just hang on, Bob, we must stop the bleeding first.

In this case, Bob doesn't have a choice- he has to just endure until he stops bleeding before they'll let him have some medicine. So the doctor is actually being almost encouraging. He means 'just endure this for now, and then things will get better'. So 'hang on studying' doesn't make sense, because in that situation, you'd have to actively go ahead and study to pass the test. hang on is usually not followed by verb 'ing'.

And now a negative use of 'hold on'.
When it's literally something in your hand, we tend to use 'onto' (sometimes written 'on to'). "Bob couldn't hold onto the cliff, and he fell." "The Joker couldn't hold onto the ladder and he fell." "Bill didn't hold onto his dog, and it bit someone."

Sometimes this is used in terms of someone's life situation; it's not quite literal- you don't have it in your hand, but it's something someone has in their life. "Suzie's a nice girl but she just can't hold onto a job." She quits or gets fired a lot. "I can't seem to hold onto my money at the moment- as fast as I make it, I spend it!" "Bob didn't hold onto his wife, and now she's left him for Bill."

When we use 'hold on' in the negative without 'to' it's usually in terms of someone's ability to endure, and more general. "I can't hold on anymore" means "I am about to break" "I want this to end" "I've had enough of this situation."

Bob: I just can't hold on anymore; I nearly died falling off a cliff, a dog bit me, I lost my job and my wife has left me for another man. I've tried to stay cheerful, but it's just too much- I wish my life was over!

You might notice i've used both 'hang on' and 'hold on'; but it's ok! They're mostly interchangeable!

I agree. 'Into' isn't a problem here. It's a slight confusion between when to use just 'on', and when to use 'onto' or 'on to'.

About No.3 hang on
 

Thank you, dogsbody70, RobinMask and Columbine, for your detailed suggestion.

First, I have to apologize of my confusion between "hang on" and "hold on".
I confused completely, and thought the two idioms as the same thing.

I now realize that the two are different each other.

From now on, I will check it out and learn what was taught by all of you.

Thank you. :)

whatever you say. How about using your imagination Robin and not make a big deal by a stray comment of mine.