all again

[ngamary]

Dear Teachers,

1) If you could do it all again.

- Why do we use “ all “ here?

2) That’s the way it is.

- What does this mean?

3) That’s what friends are for.

- What does this mean?

4) The home of the future.

- Why don’t we use “ house” instead of “ home”?

Thanks a lot.

Ngamary.

[Pete]

1) If you could do it all again.

- Why do we use “ all “ here? -- To emphasize that you mean to completely start over.

2) That’s the way it is.

- What does this mean? -- You say this in 2 different situations:
1-- You have just explained something, and you say this to assert that what you have just said is correct.
2-- You say this to avoid having to give a more precise explanation of why something happens, either because you don't know or because the explanation is too complicate to give. In the first case, maybe someone asked why the sun rises every morning, and you do not feel like giving an extensive lesson in astronomy. In the second case, maybe someone asked why people often have prejudice against those from other cultural backgrounds, and you can't really explain it, but you do agree that people often behave that way.

3) That’s what friends are for.

- What does this mean? -- It usually is used to say that friends do good things for their friends, just because they are friends. It can be a response when a friend thanks you for something nice that you did.

4) The home of the future.

- Why don’t we use “ house” instead of “ home”? -- "Home" emphasizes not only the building, but a building with a group of people living together in it.