*** The American English for What I Was Trying to Write ***

Talking About Novels

Mark: Hi. How are you?

Steve: Hi. I'm well, thanks. And you?

Mark: I'm well too, thanks. What did you do last night?

Steve: I met up with my friend Dan, and we talked about the author who wrote the novel "The Way Home". His name is James P. Blaylarke, and like myself, he is originally from Easthampton, Massachusetts.

Mark: I see. Where does he live now?

Steve: In Boston, Massachusetts.

Mark: I see. How many novels has he written?

Steve: I think that he has written seven novels, but I only like this one and his novel called "The Other Side of Green." too.

Mark: Really?

Steve: Yes. I didn't enjoy the other five because they are too long, and because I didn't think they were interesting.

Mark: I see. Why do you like the one called "The Other Side of Green"?

Steve: I related to the characters and it is a story about my hometown.

Mark: How did you relate to the novel's characters?

Steve: My mother died of cancer like the main character's mother did and I also have horses.

Mark: I see. I'm sorry that your mother died of cancer.

Caint Faoi Úrscéalta

Mark: Dia dhuit. Cén chaoi a bhfuil tú?

Steve: Dia is Muire dhuit. Táim go maith, go raibh maith agat. Agus céard fútsa?

Mark: Táim go maith freisin, go raibh maith agat. Cad é a rinne tú aréir?

Steve: Bhuail mé le mo chara Dan, agus bhíomar ag caint ar an údar a scríobh an t-úrscéal "The Way Home". James P. Blaylarke is ainm dó, agus ar mo nós féin, is as Easthampton, Massachusetts ó thosach é.

Mark: Tuigim. Cén áit a bhfuil sé ina chónaí anois?

Steve: I mBostún, Massachusetts.

Mark: Tuigim. Cé mhéad úrscéalta [<em>Cé mhéad</em> is followed by the singular] a scríobh sé?

Steve: Sílim gur scríobh sé seacht n-úrscéal, ach ní maith liom ach an ceann seo agus a úrscéal darb ainm "The Other Side of Green." freisin.

Mark: Dáirire?

Steve: Sea. Níor bhain mé sult as an gcúig cinn eile [a number before a noun takes the same mutations as the noun would (I've put in urú, but if it were Ulster Irish it would be séimhiú); the numbers can't be used without a following noun, if you don't want to repeat the noun, you have to use <em>ceann</em>; in Ulster you could also use <em>cúigear</em> instead of <em>cúig cinn</em> here, but I don't think you can in other dialects] mar atá siad rófhada, agus mar níor shíl mé go raibh siad suimiúil.

Mark: Tuigim. Cén fáth ba ar [indirect relative after <em>Cén fáth</em>] mhaith leat an ceann darb ainm "The Other Side of Green"?

Steve: Bhí cómhbhá agam leis na carachtair agus is scéal faoi mo bhaile dúchais é.

Mark: Conas atá cómhbhá agat le carachtair an úrscéil?

Steve: Fuair mo mháthair bás le hailse ar nós an mháthair an phríomhcharachtair [in a definite genitive construction ("the [noun] of the [noun]"), only the last member can take the article; if you then need to put the whole construction into the genitive (e.g. after a compound preposition like <em>ar nós</em> = "after the manner <em>of</em>") then the first noun is lenited rather than being inflected], agus bhí capaill agam freisin.

Mark: Tuigim. Tá brón orm go bhfuair mo do mháthair bás le hailse.

Iontach maith ar fad, a Sheáin!