Showing posts with label vocabulary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vocabulary. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Friendship Expressions



Make friends

We make friends when we become friendly with new people.

She made friends easily at her new school.

We became friends after meeting at a party.

Hit it off

When you hit it off with someone you have a good friendly relationship. It is used to describe meeting someone for the first time.

We hit it off straight away.

I went on a date with Frank's brother last night but we didn't hit it off. I don't think we will go out again.

Get along/get on

You have a good relationship when you get along with someone.

Do you get on with her?

I get along with Hannah really well.

He doesn't get on with his sister.

Click

You click with someone you quickly become friendly with.

We just clicked immediately – we have so many things in common.


Friday, July 17, 2015

Essential American Slang Words for English Learners

Awesome (adj) is such a popular slang word in English all over the world and you’ll hear everyone from the young to old saying it. When you use the word awesome, you’re expressing that you think something is wonderful or amazing. It can be used in a sentence or it could be used in a one word reply.

Example 1

“What did you think of Wolf on Wall Street?”

“It was awesome! I loved it!” (They thought it was a great movie).

Example 2

“I’ll pick you up at 1 pm, okay?”

“Awesome.” (Here it shows you’re cool with the idea and you agree).

Example 3

“My friend Dave is an awesome single guy. You guys would be perfect for each other!”

“Really? I’d love to meet him.”



Cool (adj) like awesome means ‘great’ or ‘fantastic’. It also shows that you’re okay with an idea. Be careful the normal meaning of cool means a little cold so you have to listen to it in context to understand what’s being said.    

Example 1)

“How’s the weather in Canada these days?”

“It’s getting cooler. Winter’s coming!” (This is the literal meaning a little cold)

Example 2

“What did you think of my new boyfriend?”

“I liked him. He seemed like a cool guy!” (He seemed like a nice guy).

Example 3

“I’m throwing a party next week for my birthday. Do you want to come?”

“Cool! Sure, I’d love to!”



To be beat (adj) In normal terms ‘beat’ would be used meaning ‘to win’ Manchester United beat Liverpool, or ‘to hit’ Marko, stop beating your brother, however, in slang or everyday English it means something completely different. If you hear your friend saying I’m beat, it means he or she is very tired or exhausted.    

Example 1

“Do you want to go out tonight? There’s a cool new rock bar that’s just opened.”

“Sorry, I can’t. I’m beat and I have to wake up early tomorrow.”

Example 2

“You look beat, what have you been doing?”

“I’ve been helping my dad in the yard all morning.”

To hang out (verb) If someone asks you where you usually hang out, they want to know in which place you prefer to be when you have free time. And if your friend asks you if you want to hang out with them, they’re asking you if you’re free and want to spend some time together. And what about if you ask your friend what they’re doing and they just answer hanging out? It means that they are free and not doing anything special.  

 Example 1

“Hey, it’s great to see you again.”

“And you. We must hang out sometime.”

“I would love that. I’ll call you soon.”

Example 2

“Paulo, where do you usually hang out on a Friday night?”

“If I’m not working, usually at the diner across the road from school.”

“Cool, I’ve been there a few times.”

Example 3

“Hi Simon, what are you doing?”

“Nothing much, just hanging out with Sally.” (In this case you can just use the word hanging without the out and say “Nothing much, just hanging with Sally.”)

And if it’s used as a noun?  It refers to the place where you spend your free time.  

Example 4

“Joey, where are you, guys.”

“We’re at our usual hang out. Come down whenever you want!” (It could mean their favorite café, the gym or even the park).

To Chill Out (verb) Everybody loves to chill out but what does it mean? It simply means to relax. Usually it can be used with or without the word ‘out’ and if you’re speaking with a native English speaker they’ll definitely understand.    

Example 1

“Hey Tommy, what are you guys doing?”

“We’re just chilling (out). Do you want to come round?”

Example 2

“Sue, what did you do in the weekend?”

“Nothing much. We just chilled (out).”

But if someone tells you need to chill out it’s not as positive. It means that they think you’re overreacting to a situation or getting stressed about silly little things.    



Example 3

“I can’t believe that test we just had. I’m sure I’m going to fail.”

“You need to chill out and stop thinking too much. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Telephone English

BUSINESS  ENGLISH  VOCABULARY
Telephone





Useful telephone vocabulary and phrases in English.


Making contact :
  • Hello / Good morning / Good afternoon ...
  • This is John Brown speaking
  • Could I speak to ......... please?
  • I'd like to speak to ..... .....
  • I'm trying to contact ..........
Giving more information:
  • I'm calling from Tokyo / Paris / New York / Sydney ...
  • I'm calling on behalf of Mr. X ...
Taking a call :
  • X speaking.
  • Can I help you?
Asking for a name / information :
  • Who's calling please?
  • Who's speaking?
  • Where are you calling from?
  • Are you sure you have the right number / name?
Asking the caller to wait :
  • Hold the line please.
  • Could you hold on please?
  • Just a moment please.
Connecting :
  • Thank you for holding.
  • The line's free now ... I'll put you through.
  • I'll connect you now  / I'm connecting you now.
Giving negative information :
  • I'm afraid the line's engaged. Could you call back later?
  • I'm afraid he's in a meeting at the moment.
  • I'm sorry. He's out of the office today. /
    He isn't in at the moment.
  • I'm afraid we don't have a Mr./Mrs./Ms/Miss. ... here
  • I'm sorry.  There's nobody here by that name.
  • Sorry.  I think you've dialled the wrong number./
    I'm afraid you've got the wrong number.
Telephone problems :
  • The line is very bad ...  Could you speak up please?
  • Could you repeat that please?
  • I'm afraid I can't hear you.
  • Sorry. I didn't catch that.  Could you say it again please?
Leaving /Taking a message :
  • Can I leave / take a message?
  • Would you like to leave a message?
  • Could you give him/her a message?
  • Could you ask him/her to call me back?
  • Could you tell him/her that I called?
  • Could you give me your name please?
  • Could you spell that please?
  • What's your number please?


Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Collocation in English

As you learn English, it's very important to develop an understanding of words that are regularly used together. Words that go together are called collocations. Knowing them will make your English sound more natural.

Here are some collocations with the verb take.



Choose the best collocation in these sentences. If you make a mistake, don't worry. Just remember it and don't repeat it.

1) Who was that ___ man you were talking to?
handsome
pretty

2) Drive carefully, the road gets ___ soon.
thin
narrow

3) There are some ___ mountains outside the town.
low
short

4) I work in a ___ building.
tall
long



5) The company is hoping to ___ a profit this year.
make
take

6) They've ___ their decision.
changed
moved

7) ___ a photo of him.
Make
Take

8) What does he ___ for a living?
make
have
do

9) She got a ___ education in London.
well
good

10) Do I have time to take a ___ shower?
quick
fast

The answers 
1 = handsome, 2 = narrow, 3 = low, 4 = tall, 5 = make
6 = changed, 7 = take, 8 = do, 9 = good, 10 = quick

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Expressions with Face

Straight Face

When your face shows no emotion, especially when you are trying not to laugh, you keep a straight face.

Don't laugh, try and keep a straight face or she will know you are joking.

His new hairstyle is so awful that I found it hard to keep a straight face.



Lose Face

When you lose face you feel you have lost the respect of others because of something you have done. You feel embarrassed when you lose face.

He didn't understand the lecture but he said he did because he did not want to lose face in front of his classmates.

He lost face when his much younger brother took the test and did better than him.

Long Face

You have a long face when you look sad.

What's happened to James? He has a long face this morning.

"Why the long face?" "I had some bad news."

Egg on your face

You have egg on your face when you get caught doing something wrong. It's an embarrassing situation.

The President had egg on his face after journalists found out he was lying.

The company has egg on its face after its new product turned out to be faulty.



Face it

You face it when you accept the truth, usually about something unpleasant.

Face it, unless we start making a profit soon we will go bankrupt.

I have to face up to the fact that I'm getting too old for nightclubs.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Some expressions for all you cool cats who love English!

There are many idiomatic expressions which take cats as their inspiration. Let's study a few today!

Fat cat
A negative description of a rich and powerful person.
Those fat cats in government don't care about the poor.

Cat got your tongue?
Has the cat got your tongue? is an expression we say to people when we want them to speak but they don’t answer us.
You’re very quiet Jenny. What's the matter, has the cat got your tongue?

Curiosity killed the cat
Basically, being too curious can get you into trouble. It's used to warm someone they are asking too many questions.
Simon: Stop asking questions about my private life! Curiosity killed the cat so mind your own business!

Not a cat in hell's chance
When something or someone has no chance of being successful, it doesn't have a cat in hell's chance.
We haven't got a cat in hell's chance of getting there before 5:30 with this traffic.

Look like something the cat dragged in
When someone looks very untidy and messy, they look like something the cat dragged in.
Go and shower and get changed before your granny gets here. You look like something the cat dragged in!

Let the cat out of the bag
When you accidentally tell someone a secret, the cat is out of the bag.
I tried to keep John’s surprise party a secret from him but Susan let the cat out the bag when he asked her what the cake was for!

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

I Don't Want to Miss a Thing

Aerosmith es una banda que ha dado al panorama musical muchos de los temas que hoy son clásicos, pasando por alto barreras generacionales. Seas o no un seguidor de esta banda, te proponemos que te bajes esta canción y te damos la letra en Inglés y su traducción en español, tú solo debes modular tu voz al mejor estilo Tyler…Un toque de romanticismo rockero a nuestro Blog nunca está de más :)


I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing
I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping

While you’re far away dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure


[Chorus]
Don’t want to close my eyes

I don’t want to fall asleep
Cause I’d miss you baby
And I don’t want to miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I’d still miss you baby
And I don’t want to miss a thing

Lying close to you feeling your heart beating
And I’m wondering what you’re dreaming
Wondering if it’s me you’re seeing
Then I kiss your eyes
And thank God we’re together
I just want to stay with you in this moment forever
Forever and ever


[Chorus]


I don’t want to miss one smile
I don’t want to miss one kiss
I just want to be with you
Right here with you, just like this
I just want to hold you close
Feel your heart so close to mine
And just stay here in this moment
For all the rest of time

[Chorus]

Don’t want to close my eyes
I don’t want to fall asleep
I don’t want to miss a thing


No Quiero Perderme Nada
Podría estar despierto sólo para escucharte respirar
Ver tu sonrisa mientras duermes
Mientras estás lejos soñando
Podría emplear mi vida en esta dulce entrega
Me podría perder en este instante eternamente
Cada momento que paso contigo es muy preciado para mí

[Coro]
No quiero cerrar mis ojos 
No quiero quedarme dormido
Porque te echaría de menos
Y no quiero perderme nada
Ya que incluso cuando sueño contigo
El más dulce de los sueños no sería suficiente
Aún te echaría de menos cariño
Y no quiero perderme nada

 Tumbado junto a ti sintiendo tu corazón latir
Y me pregunto qué estás soñando
Me pregunto si soy yo el que ves
Entonces beso tus ojos
Y doy gracias a Dios de que estamos juntos
Tan solo quiero estar contigo en este momento eternamente
Por siempre y para siempre

[Coro]
No quiero perderme ni una sonrisa
No quiero perderme ni un beso
Tan solo quiero estar contigo
Justo aquí contigo así
Tan solo quiero tenerte cerca de mí
Sentir tu corazón tan cerca delo
Y quedarme aquí en este momento
El resto de mis días

[Coro]

No quiero cerrar mis ojos
No quiero quedarme dormido
No quiero perderme nada

Monday, February 9, 2015

The Irregular Past Forms .(1)


Una de las malas noticias para los estudiantes de Inglés es que existe un lista de verbos irregulares que hay que aprender  si se quieren usar correctamente el pasado y el participio de estos verbos. La buena noticia es que, con unos cuantos consejos, la lista es más fácil de lo que parece: la irregularidad no es absoluta ni del todo caprichosa y, en realidad, se trata de aprenderse un conjunto de modelos y recordar a cuál de ellos pertenece cada verbo.



Verbos regulares e irregulares

A la hora de formar el pasado simple y el participio, en Inglés existen dos tipos de verbos: regulares e irregulares. Los verbos regulares son muy fáciles. Basta con añadir el sufijo –ed a la forma del infinitivo para formar tanto el pasado como el participio, que son iguales. Así, por ejemplo:

Infinitivo
Pasado
Participio
Traducción
to listen
listened
listened
oír
to decide
decided
decided
decidir
to look
looked
looked
mirar

Los verbos irregulares son, justamente, aquellos que no siguen la regla que acabamos de explicar, es decir, los verbos que forman su pasado y su participio de manera distinta a, simplemente, añadir –ed. Así pues, en el caso de los verbos irregulares, habrá que aprender cuáles son sus formas de pasado y participio o, lo que es lo mismo, habrá que aprender  la famosa  lista de verbos irregulares.
La lista de verbos irregulares presenta los verbos alfabéticamente ordenados en tres columnas (infinitivo/pasado/participio).Muchos diccionarios  y manuales de gramática incluyen al final una lista de verbos irregulares. Dependiendo del nivel, la lista puede contener aproximadamente entre 75 y 150 verbos, que son los más usuales en lengua inglesa. Por lo tanto, la lista no es sólo importante para saber cuál es el pasado y el participio de los verbos que incluye, sino también para saber, por eliminación, qué verbos son regulares: aquellos que no recordamos  como irregulares.
Y, antes de pasar  a ver la tabla, una última observación. La lista de verbos irregulares es para muchos estudiantes de Inglés una buena manera de aprender vocabulario, ya que, aunque sean relativamente pocas palabras, son palabras de uso muy habitual. Si tienes que estudiarla y aprenderla, está bien que la estudies con una cuarta columna en la que figure el significado más básico del verbo (muchos tienen más de uno), tal y como te lo presentamos aquí en los ejemplos.

 Otra forma de mirar la lista de verbos irregulares
 Si bien la forma alfabética de la lista de verbos es la más útil para su consulta, no necesariamente es la mejor manera de aprenderse su contenido. Si estudias la lista un poco más a fondo, en seguida te darás cuenta de que, aunque no todos, la mayoría de los verbos que contiene se pueden agrupar en un puñado de modelos, lo que facilita enormemente su aprendizaje. Comenzaremos por dividir los verbos irregulares en tres grandes categorías:
  1. Verbos con las tres formas iguales.
  2. Verbos con pasado y participio iguales.
  3. Verbos con pasado y participio distintos.
Al examinar en más detalle cada una de las categorías, te ofreceremos algunos de los modelos más usuales.

 Verbos con las tres formas iguales

 Son verbos muy cortos (monosílabos) que, además, suelen acabar en –t o en –d. Completa la lista siguiente.

let
let
let
dejar
bet


apostar
set


establecer
put
put
put
poner
cut


cortar
hurt


doler
shut


cerrar
cost


costar

Cuidado con el verbo read (leer). Aunque, en apariencia, pertenece a esta categoría, dado que sus tres formas se escriben igual, en realidad el pasado y el participio se pronuncian de forma distinta:

read /ri:d/
read /red/
read /red/
leer


Monday, January 26, 2015

Thank God for tea !

Tea ...the " National Drink".


If there is a typical British drink, that is tea. Known as the ‘National Drink’, it is consumed daily by a majority of people across the country. Teas can be divided into categories depending on how they are processed: white, yellow, green, oolong, black and postfermented. In Britain, tea is usually black tea served with milk.
The tea plant is native to East and South Asia. It was imported to Europe during the Portuguese expansion of the 16th century. Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II, took the tea habit to Great Britain around 1660. It became a widely consumed drink in the 19th century when the British started importing tea from China.The world’s largest producers of tea are China and India.


Did you know  ?

The first tea bag was marketed in 1904. American Thomas Sullivan from New York was the first to distribute samples of his tea in small bags with a drawstring. This method became widely used during World War II, when tea was rationed. Tetley was the first brand to sell tea bags in the UK, in 1953. They became an immediate success12.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Sayings !

A  saying (dicho)  is  a well-known and wise statement, which often has a meaning that is different from the simple meanings of the words it contains. Here are  a few  examples: 



Too many chiefs and not enough Indians

If everybody wants to be the boss and nobody wants to work, then there are too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

When the cat’s away the mice will play.

When the authority figure is away, the subordinates are free to do what they want.

No pain, no gain

If you don’t make an effort and a sacrifice, you won’t achieve anything.

To see red

If you see red, you become angry; lose self-control.

Friday, December 12, 2014

Prepositions of time: for and during


"He lived in France for three years...  !
FOR expresses the duration of an action. It is used to say how long an action took. We cannot use “during” to express that. Examples:
He lived in France for three years and then went back to England.
We have been waiting here for twenty minutes now and he hasn’t come yet.
We will travel around South America for six months and visit different countries.


"During the conference, the minister talked to the press... "

DURING introduces a period of time in which something happens. Sometimes, “during” can be substituted by “in”.
We saw each other twice during [in] that week.
During the conference, the ministers talked to the press after every meeting.
We never got round to seeing each other during the month that I spent in London.
Practice 
Complete the sentences with for or during.
a) Marc has been studying English ___________ two years.
b) Helen and Peter fell in love _____________ a trip to Africa.
c) ___________ his hunger strike, he didn’t eat anything and only drank water.
d) The workers have been on strike ________________ a week now.

Answers: a- for b- during c- During  d- for


Saturday, December 6, 2014

More uses of get .



"You get on a bus... "


Get with prepositions


We often use “get” as a verb of movement. Other verbs of movement are go, come, run, walk, fly, jump… Verbs of movement are commonly followed by prepositions to indicate the direction of the movement: get up, get down, get into, get out of, get through, get on, get off…
We use get on/off with most means of transport (but not with cars) with the meaning of “board”, “enter” (get on) and “disembark”, “exit” (get off).
Get on the boat! [board]  It’s about to leave.
(In the bus) I’m getting off [exiting] at the next stop.
He got on [mounted] his bike and rode away.
The cowboy got off [dismounted] the horse and hid behind a rock.
With cars, taxis, etc., we use get into/out of.
Get into [enter] the car and let’s go!
We got out of [exited] the taxi in Trafalgar Square..
Here are other examples of get as a verb of movement. Can you guess their meaning now?
He got down on his knees and prayed.
I’m trying to phone my brother but I can’t get through.
The thieves got into the house through an open window.
They used a boat to get across the river.

Sometimes, we use get + preposition to form a new specific meaning which is not exactly the combination of the meaning of the verb and the meaning of the preposition. We call these “phrasal verbs”. Study the table:

Prepositional verb
Phrasal verb
He got up from the chair and walked to the window.

GET UP means STAND UP (He was sitting on a chair. Then, he stood up and walked to the window).
He never gets up before 10 o’clock.
What time do you normally get up?

GET UP means GET OUT OF BED TO START A NEW DAY.

Here are some phrasal verbs with get:


GET AT SOMEONE = scorn, criticize. He’s always getting at me when I give my opinion.
GET ROUND/AROUND TO DOING SOMETHING = to manage to do something. I can’t get round to tidying my room. I’m always too busy.
GET AWAY = escape. The thieves got away from the police.
GET ON (WITH SOMEONE) = have a pleasant relationship with someone. I always like to get on with my bosses. It makes work easier.
GET OVER SOMETHING = recover from (an illness or unpleasant experience). He can’t get over his mother’s dead. It was a great shock for him.



Practice 


Complete the sentences. Use get off / get into / get on  /get through

a) John ______________ very well with his family. He never argues with them.
b) The line is constantly engaged. I can never ______________ to make my complaint.
c) We must ________________ the bus at Piccadilly Circus.
d) When we arrived to the station, the doors of the train were still closed. We had to wait half an hour to __________________ the train.
e) He lost his keys and he had to ___________________ his house through an open window on the second floor.

Answers: (a) gets on; (b) get through; (c) get off; (d) get on; (e) get into