Have a go – The English We Speak

Feifei: Morning Neil. In a rush today, were you?
Neil: Just a bit, Feifei. You know, kids,
breakfast, commute. The usual. Why?
Feifei: Well – I noticed your shirt isn’t ironed.
Neil: Very attentive of you.
Feifei: And your shirt has … ketchup on it?
Neil: Oops, yes – beans for breakfast.
Feifei: And you haven’t shaved, have you?
Neil: Well, no. Erm…
Feifei: You really do need to make more of an effort.
Neil: Feifei, why are you having a go at me?
Feifei: Relax, Neil. I’m just giving you the opportunity
to use the phrase, we are teaching which is: ‘have a go’!
Neil: Well that’s a relief.
Feifei: ‘To have a go at someone’, as we’ve just seen,
means to criticise someone.
Neil: That’s right. Here are some examples.
Examples: The boss really had a go at Michaela
after she offended our clients.
Susie had a go at her husband last night.
He’d forgotten all about her birthday.
Why do you always have a go at me?
Why can’t you say something nice?
Feifei: That’s our phrase.
‘To have a go at someone’ – which means
to criticise someone.
Neil: There. Can we be nice to each other now?
Feifei: Well, we can have a go!
Neil: Ah, very clever.
‘To have a go’ has another meaning – ‘to try’.
Feifei: Yes – if you have a go at something, you try it.
Neil: Why don’t you have a go at
making an example sentence, Feifei?
Feifei: Ok then. I’m going to have a go at
cooking a Thai curry from scratch.
Neil: Tasty. ‘To have a go’ meaning ‘to try’.
And one last thing, Feifei.
Do I really look scruffy?
Feifei: Not at all.
Though you could shave once in a while.
Neil: I’ll have a go. Just for you Feifei.
Feifei + Neil: Bye.