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Scratch that. What to say when you misspeak in English.
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Are you feeling stuck with your English?
We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection with your American host, Aubrey Carter, the IELTS Wiz, and Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer.
Coming to you from Arizona and Colorado, USA.
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Life is dynamic and plans are always changing.
Sometimes we give the wrong information and we want to correct ourselves.
In this episode, you will get five ways to take back what you said and correct yourself in English.
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Hello, Aubrey. What's going on today?
Not too much. How are you, Lindsay?
I'm feeling great. I'm happy to be on the microphone.
Recording is my favorite part of the week.
Same, and my kids are back at school, so it's much easier.
I don't have them maybe knocking on the door, like, Mom, what's going on?
There we go. So much easier.
So, Aubrey, today we're talking about miss speaking.
So for you, Aubrey, when was the last time you misspoke?
Has it happened recently?
It happens to me all the time.
I feel like I misspeak all the time.
I'll call my kids the wrong name.
I'll say, this is the plan.
It's going to be at this time.
And then I'm like, just kidding.
Scratch that. This is what I meant.
So, especially as a mom, there's so much going on in your thinking of all these different schedules.
I feel like this happens to me the most with time, like saying a time and then taking it back.
Oh, interesting. OK, so you're always kind of backpedaling a little bit on the time that you say, and schedules are chaotic.
Yes, I can imagine. Exactly.
This verb misspeak is interesting, right?
It means to say something incorrectly or inaccurate.
And we often will immediately realize it and reverse it.
But sometimes someone else points it out, and we're like, oh, sorry, I misspoke.
I meant this. And just saying I misspoke is actually a great, it sounds polite.
It sounds articulate. It's a good way to walk back what you've said and correct yourself.
So even if we just learned that today, guys, you've had a win.
Exactly. You've already won.
You've already won. Because there are other ways we say this.
I messed up. Whoops. Whatever it is.
But this does sound higher level.
Oh, I misspoke. This one's high.
And I think in today's episode, we're going to give you more the street language a little bit around what to say if you don't want to say I misspoke, because that's a little more formal.
But it's a good thing. You might say one of these firsts and then say, I misspoke.
There are so many little native chunks that we say right after we realize we misspoke.
Yeah, these are utterances.
These are tiny little things.
But this is what makes us fluent.
This is what defines that C2 level fluency when you can naturally throw that in.
Absolutely. This actually was inspired by one of them that you threw into an episode.
Guys, go back if you missed it, episode 2245, right here on The Aller's English Podcast, was called, Do You Have a Sibling?
And Michelle asked Lindsay if she had a sibling or when she last saw her brother.
And she said, I saw him a few months ago in California.
No, sorry. I saw him last weekend.
And this triggered in my mind, I'm like, oh, these little things we say like, no, sorry.
And a few more you're going to learn today are so native and natural, just these little utterances that we throw in.
Yeah. And this is just being human, correcting yourself.
You forget about something and then it comes to your mind right away.
Oh, no, actually. Oh, well, it was this.
No, sorry. So today is going to be a very real English episode.
Absolutely, right? We all make mistakes.
And this is very native to throw in these very natural utterances because it almost would sound strange or abrupt for you instead to say, I saw him last month.
I saw him last week. It feels like it has to be some kind of little transition to make it clear that you're correcting yourself.
You need transitions. I think people would just more than anything be very confused.
If I started saying I saw him last week, oh, I saw him last month.
No, you need transitions to change and change direction and signpost what you're saying.
Exactly. So you're going to learn five today because there are a bunch of different things that we say.
The first one is that no sorry, right?
Maybe if someone says, I got here at two.
No sorry, it was 2.30. We just immediately correct ourselves, throw this in.
Love that. So sometimes we start broad in what we say, and then we realize we want to be more specific.
No sorry, it was actually 2.30.
And throwing in actually there could make sense too.
I think Michelle and I are going to do an episode soon about actually and how useful it is.
Oh, we say it all the time, right?
We'll definitely add that as well.
No sorry, it was actually 2.30.
And we're just making it clear that we're correcting.
Like you said, Lindsay, we don't want to confuse if we're changing something.
We want to make sure that they scratch out what we said before.
Yes, scratch out what we said before.
I love it. I love number two because, well, number one, it came to, it kind of rose into popularity in the odds.
I think the early odds, I remember saying this a lot.
What is it, Aubrey? It's just kidding.
I still say this all the time, right?
Maybe you say, he said he isn't coming.
Just kidding. I just remembered he texted that he'll be there.
So it's funny because just kidding, literally, it's maybe you told a joke and then you're like, just kidding.
But we don't really use it that way as much.
We use it this. I use it this way more to correct myself.
Just kidding. That's not what I meant.
It's kind of funny the way that was put into the language, into trendy language in the odds where, yeah, you're not telling a joke.
You're not telling a joke.
You're not trying to make me laugh or something, right?
You're saying, I was incorrect, right?
And for a while, we said JK.
Every now and then you'll still hear someone say this, JK, instead of just kidding, the acronym, but this has really become less trendy.
It's sort of cheesy and outdated sounding now, wouldn't you say?
Totally. Or if you watch reality TV that was filmed in the odds, I know reality TV was kind of hot.
There was big brother was a big deal in the odds.
Survivor. If you're watching any of those refunds, reruns that are on TV, you're probably going to hear this.
You might hear that, JK.
You might. Just recognize that it's pretty dated now.
If you said that right now, it's going to be like, what decade are you from?
I know. Along with fashion, language also becomes very dated.
Right? Absolutely. OK.
That's a fun one. Just kidding.
And number three is, oh, wait, I say this all the time too.
Do you? Is this kind of your go-to?
Yeah, I feel like all of these are my go-to.
Honestly, I say these all.
But this one, maybe you say, we're supposed to meet at three.
Oh, wait, an email just came in changing it to four, right?
You're either correcting something or you realized something last second.
And this is another one of those chunks to change it.
Just kidding. Oh, wait.
Yeah, schedules are dynamic.
We're always changing.
Or even, let's say you're putting on, like we had a garage sale this year, and a big sale at your house.
You're changing things constantly.
Oh, we're putting signs up and people should arrive at 10.
Oh, wait, no, no, no. Scratch that.
Just kidding. People are coming at 10.30.
You're always changing and adjusting to current situations, right?
And if you don't see these little chunks, it will feel abrupt or maybe be confusing.
Confusing. This is how we make it clear.
We use these little, oh, wait, scratch that.
And often we combine them like that, right?
Oh, wait, just kidding.
To make it very clear that I'm changing something.
Exactly. Exactly. It's good to have that flexibility.
And the next one I already used, naturally, which is scratch that.
Tell us about this one, Aubrey.
Yes. Just like you said, scratch that.
We're changing the time.
We're saying eliminate what I just said, scratch it, meaning get rid of it, delete it.
So maybe if you're cooking, you say, the recipe calls for a tablespoon of salt.
Scratch that. It actually says one teaspoon.
Get what I just said. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Or you could improvise and you could say, scratch that.
Let's actually do one teaspoon instead.
I'm trying to cut down on salt.
I guess you can do that with cooking, maybe not baking.
Because then it's just.
You're going to ruin it, right?
Ruin it. Let me imagine if it actually calls for a teaspoon and you put in a tablespoon of salt.
Oh, jeez. That's a good way to ruin a recipe.
Not good. You could add that, Lindsay, where you just add too much salt.
And it ruins what you've made.
Oh, yeah, for sure. I did this recently with mashed potatoes.
I made mashed potatoes.
And I did it with refried beans, too.
Salted mashed potatoes.
Oh, way too salty. The little salt is good.
I ruined it. And then you just ordered out for food, right?
Order out dinner. Yeah.
I love that. Scratch it.
Scratch everything. Let's order out.
Love the Chinese. I love it.
And then number five is I take it back.
This feels kind of dramatic, right?
So the train leaves at five.
Oh, hang on. I take it back.
It leaves at 5.30. Yes. I say this one, too.
But it is a little more elevated sounding.
I take it back. It's a longer phrase, right?
These are all very interchangeable.
It's all you're just, you know, you've said something, realized you were wrong, changing it.
So you can say any of these.
I take it back. I'll either at three.
This one I tend not to say just because it takes longer to say it.
Honestly, that's how natives speak.
They choose what's easiest, what is quickest to say, right?
We do run this all together.
It almost sounds like one word, right?
I take it back. Or you could come by and say, I take it back.
Scratch that. You know, let's do.
I take it back. Yeah, exactly.
Exactly. So natural. I love it.
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All right. So before we go into the role play, Aubrey, let's remind our listeners to hit that follow button.
Why should they do that?
If you are not following the podcast, you are missing amazing episodes, like the one that inspired this episode.
We have so many great episodes every week for you guys.
So be sure to hit follow.
All right. Good stuff. And we are also getting pretty soon here into September.
Right? We're getting into September, which is the time to solidify your learning routine.
Take us along with you. Lately, we've been hearing from a lot of listeners that are taking us with them on their commute in the morning, Aubrey, the car ride, the train ride, with your dog walking in the park.
Take us with you. Make us part of your day five days a week.
Yes, I love it. That's when I listen to podcasts, right?
You've got the time. It's so nice.
I love that. Your moment for yourself, right?
Yeah. Exactly. Yes. OK.
So in this role play, Aubrey, we are chatting while we're waiting for our class to start.
So it sounds like we're classmates, yeah?
Yeah. Of course, it's classmates, maybe college, maybe high school.
All right. Either one. Here we go.
I'll start us out. When's the last time you went to a zoo?
Oh, man. Probably five years ago.
Oh, wait, wait. Just kidding.
I went a few months ago with my niece.
I can't believe you forgot.
Well, it was a really hot day, and we saw very few animals.
I guess I blocked it out since I was kind of miserable the whole time.
Sounds awful. I've never had such a terrible experience at a zoo.
Scratch that. I take it back.
I just remembered once a few years ago when we went in the middle of the summer, and it was just like that.
Interesting. And so just to clarify, it was just like what?
What are you referring to?
You're saying it was hot and miserable the day, and I'm saying, oh, yeah.
I actually do remember.
I've blocked out this terrible experience that I had.
Yeah. And the intonation's really important there, to show that you're referring back to what I just talked about, it being hot and miserable.
And it was just like that.
Like that. That's true.
Yeah. That's really important.
OK. You wouldn't want someone to be like, just like what?
What do you mean? I need to make it clear that I'm saying that was just like that, like what you were just saying.
Yeah, we need that cohesion, that kind of mirroring, responding to what I'm saying, and that shows up in the intonation, especially when you've said quite a bit, and then you're referring back.
Exactly. Yeah. So let's go through this.
We used a couple, and we're combining them here, just like we often do in speech.
We'll often say more than one of these at a time.
So you first said that you hadn't been to a zoo for five years, and then you said, oh, wait, just kidding.
I went a few months ago. Nice.
Yes. And then you said, we come over to, you said, sounds awful.
I've never had such a terrible experience at a zoo.
And then you said, scratch that.
I take it back. Right? Yep.
Because then I immediately remember, oh, I've blocked out this memory.
I forgot. I did have a terrible experience at the zoo.
Scratch that. I take it back.
I did have a really hot, awful day at a zoo once.
Yeah. And that actually makes me think the classic one that we really didn't talk about much today, but it's what you might see in a textbook or just standard American English.
Never mind. Right? Oh, never mind.
Right? Do you? Do you not?
Because I would definitely.
I would use that nearly as much in this way, right?
If I say something and then realize it's a mistake, I think people do sometimes say never mind.
They do. Do you do that, Lindsay?
But I don't. I'll use one of these instead.
Never mind for me is more like, don't worry about it.
So never mind. That's super interesting.
We should do an episode on that, Albrey, because I think there might be regional differences here, or maybe there was one meaning that was official, and then it extended in a certain way.
I would love to see if you could research that and let us know.
We can do another episode on that.
Let's definitely do a follow up on that.
Because yeah, I use it to mean more like, don't worry about it.
Never mind. Right. Right.
Right. So I use it for a scratch that.
Oh, never mind. It's actually at five, not five.
Oh, that's fascinating.
Yeah. Guys, be sure to hit follow, because we're going to do a follow up on the different ways we use never mind.
That could be confusing.
That's super. That will be a great episode.
All right. Good stuff. So what's the takeaway for today's episode, Albrey?
Life is dynamic. Life is always changing, especially in certain professions.
You're always recalculating things.
Absolutely. And everyone misspeaks.
This happens to all of us that will say something, and then immediately remember something realized that we've misspoken.
And we want to use today's phrases to quickly correct ourselves in a very native natural way.
Yeah. You don't need to start over and say, I was incorrect.
That's so boring. Right.
I lied. Sometimes we do say that.
I thought about adding this one too.
I lied. That's a bonus for today, because actually, that is a trendy thing.
Also, maybe going out of style now.
It's true. Maybe we did say that for a long time.
Instead of saying I was wrong, we'll be like, just kidding.
But yeah, I feel like that's also being phased out.
So for another day. But it's funny.
That one's similar to just kidding, because you're not actually lying.
You're not telling a lie.
You're not trying to deceive.
But you're taking that word, and you're sort of changing the meaning to say, well, what I would say, never mind.
Which could be confusing.
Say I lied. They're like, wait, you lied?
Like, it feels that was that intentional?
You would need to know. That's not what they mean.
They just mean I misspoke.
Well, there's a lot to explore here in other episodes.
That's why you guys need to be following the podcast.
And Aubrey, I'll see you in the next one.
All right. I'll see you next time.
Take care. Bye. Bye. Thanks for listening to All Ears English.
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