среда, 18 марта 2015 г.

Personally, I try to adhere to local customs...

You love to travel. A lot of travelers don't change how they act in different countries. But you like to act like the people who live in that country. You're explaining this idea to an acquaintance who asked about your travels.
Personally, I try to adhere to local customs whenever possible.

You may have heard that there's a difference between "try to (do something)" and "try (doing something)". In general, you should talk about a goal after "try to ___":
Try to get there by 10:00.
I try to make everyone feel comfortable when I host a party.
And talk about a method to reach a goal with "try ___ing":
I can never sleep on an airplane. I've tried listening to relaxing music, taking sleeping pills, staying up the night before. Nothing seems to work.

This is a way to share your opinion. You start with "Personally..." to show that you're not telling the listener what to do, but simply sharing your own experiences or ideas:
Personally, I think it's a bad idea.
Personally, I try not to get involved in other people's arguments.
But watch out: even if you add "Personally..." to communicate that you're only sharing your personal opinion, people might still get annoyed that you're telling them what to do.

To "adhere to" a rule means to follow it:
Monks adhere to a strict religiious code.
Journalists are supposed to adhere to certain rules of ethics.
We don't usually use "adhere to" to talk about laws. Instead, we use it to talk about rules that come from a religion, a philosophy, or a culture.

"Customs" are unwritten rules that people follow in a culture or society. Here are some examples of customs:
·     In Western business culture, people shake hands the first time they meet.
·     In many countries, you are supposed to take your shoes off when you enter someone's home.
When we talk about the customs in a country or region we are visiting, we call them "local customs".

The phrase "whenever possible" means "as much as you can". Use it like this:
I like to eat healthy whenever possible. 
Whenever possible, try to let me know ahead of time if you're going to be out of the office.