Please help me choose the correct response for this exchange.

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ESL forum > Ask for help > Please help me choose the correct response for this exchange.

Please help me choose the correct response for this exchange.

tuanvu170189

Please help me choose the correct response for this exchange.

Sarah and Kathy are talking about bad habits of children.

- Sarah: “Children under ten shouldn’t stay up late to play computer games”

- Kathy: “__________”

A. You can say that again.

B. Surely, we shouldn’t.

C. Yes, I share your opinion.

D. I don’t quite agree with you.

(Some Teachers ask me whether option A is correct. Is A appropriate in this situation?

25 May 2017

yanogator

B is incorrect, unless Kathy is under 10.

C and D are definitely correct.

A is OK, but is not a great choice. When we say, "You can say that again", we mean "I wholeheartedly agree with you". Sarah �s statement just doesn �t seem to be strong enough to warrant such a response. This is totally subjective, though, and Kathy �s opinion of the importance of Sarah �s statement might be different from mine.

Anyway, I wouldn�t use it in this situation, but it is definitely correct, and some people might strongly disagree with me.

If Kathy is a 3rd-grade teacher whose students can �t stay awake in class, that is just what she would say.

Oh, the short answer is, "Yes, it�s fine".

Bruce

25 May 2017

tuanvu170189

Thanks Bruce. I really appreciate your help.

25 May 2017

cunliffe

Definitely! - �A � is appropriate! It �s so true! I think a strong response is merited. As Bruce says, C and D are correct. I would go for �C� between those two, as D would be an unlikely response from an adult!

26 May 2017

tuanvu170189

You can say that again. and you can say that again!. (With the exclamation mark). What is the difference? Could you please tell me the best response for this exchange? Just one answer for this.

26 May 2017

cunliffe

You can say that again!

It needs the exclamation mark; I thought that when I first read it.

It doesn�t mean that you want the person to repeat it - it means you strongly agree. I think Bruce gave a good example of when it would be appropriate in that context.

26 May 2017

FrauSue

I don �t like option C - it sounds stilted and unnatural. I would opt for A as the statement is hard to disagree with, so D makes little sense to me too.

28 May 2017

tuanvu170189

Thanks all. It makes sense to me.

31 May 2017