Learning American Spoken English 9: Damage

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Please look at the conversation: (Michael and Li Hua have rented a car, and they are now on their way to New Jersey). L: Michael, this car is really good; it’s quite stable. We’ll arrive in half an hour again, that’s great! M: Yeah, I’m glad too, but the damage from renting the car is pretty bad. L: What? Is this rented car broken too? Oh, what should we do then! M: No, the rental car isn’t damaged! The word “damage” does mean that, but in this context it refers to the amount of money required to repair something. L: The rental car isn’t broken; that really surprised me. It turns out it’s my English again that’s the problem. The word “Damage” is quite ordinary; everyone knows it refers to something that is broken. But you mean why things cost money. M: Yes, renting a car is expensive, so the damage is serious. We usually say whether the damage is serious or not. L: I see; when the price is high, that means the damage is serious. The price isn’t high; that means the damage isn’t severe. Give me another example. M: When you pay for dinner at a restaurant, you can ask: What’s the bill? L: Oh, when it’s time to pay after having dinner at a restaurant, you can ask, “What’s the bill?” So renting a car is expensive; the bill is high. Michael, don’t worry, I can help cover part of it. M: You don’t have to, Li Hua. I know the damage to your new computer was quite serious. L: You’re so kind; you know I spent a lot of money on the new computer, so you don’t want me to pay for it. Michael, it’s okay; I can pay a little. You still need to take the car to a repair shop, and that’s expensive too. M: Thank you, Li Hua. But I hope the damage to my car isn’t too severe. L: I hope the repair costs won’t be too high either. Come on, forget about the money; just start driving already. M: OK, I’ll drive fast so that the rest of our day won’t be wasted. L: By the way, let’s not waste time; I don’t want to waste the whole day either. Here, “damage” does not refer to damage in the literal sense, but rather to the money paid for something or for a transaction. From VOA Special English.