March 28th, 2008

Chicken out (phrasal verb): to decide not to do something out of fear (usually just before)

Example: I was going to ride the rollercoaster, but I chickened out when I saw how fast it went.

Hold your horses! - wait and be patient.

Example: Hold your horses! I’ll be finished in the bathroom in a minute.

In the dog house: in trouble with another person.

Example: I don’t think Sonia is coming out tonight. She’s still in the dog house for forgetting Jeremy’s birthday.

Kill two birds with one stone: get two things done at once.

Example: If you pick the groceries up when you drop Kevin off for his shift, you will kill two birds with one stone.

Raining cats and dogs: raining heavily

Example: I forgot my umbrella, and it was raining cats and dogs.

A nest egg (noun): money saved for the future

Example: We have a nest egg that we might use when Jim retires.

Pig out (phrasal verb): eat a lot of something.

Example: I pigged out on pancakes for breakfast so I don’t have room for lunch.

Rat race (noun): fierce, competitive struggle for power, position, etc.

Example: I’m ready to leave this rat race and retire!

Smell a rat: begin to suspect trickery etc.

Example: The detective smelled a rat when the brakes of his car were cut.

Fishy (adjective): odd, suspicious

Example: I knew something fishy was going on when I saw all of my friends’ cars in my mom’s driveway.

March 27th, 2008

How to make a clear distinction between the two sounds [v] and [w].

To make the [v] sound put your upper teeth lightly on your lower lip, leaving a small space in the middle. When you voice the [v] sound, the air passes through the narrow gap between the lower lip and upper teeth. You should hear and feel a vibration as the air goes through. The sound should be the same as that used in ‘love’, ‘drive’, ‘have’

To make the [w] sound push your lips forward, forming a round opening in the centre, similar to when you say the [u] vowel in ‘you’. The opening is larger than in that used for the [v] sound. As you voice the [w] sound, drop your tongue and let the air passes easily through the opening. In contrast with the [v] sound, you shouldn’t hear or feel any vibration as air passes through the opening. The sound should be the same as that used in ‘was’, ‘went’, ‘how’.

Practice the difference between word pairs like these:

veil whale

vein wane

vest west

vent went

Now practice these sentences:

Vienna is the capital of Austria.

Victor wants to be a Viking.

Wendy’s van is very wide.

Walter walked through the valley on Wednesday.

Warren drives a VW.

March 20th, 2008

How to talk about pregnancy and babies.

My friend got pregnant / conceived in April and her baby was born in January.

She waited until the second trimester (after three months) to tell people, as by then there is less risk of losing the baby / having a miscarriage. During the pregnancy she had terrible morning sickness and she also had cravings (a strong desire to eat something) for cheese and pickle sandwiches.

The birth itself was uncomplicated. She went into labour at midnight, and the baby was born at 7 a.m. She didn’t feel too much pain and didn’t need an epidural. Instead, she was on drips to make the contractions come a little quicker. Her midwife (special nurse who follows a woman throughout pregnancy) was with her during the birth, just to make sure that everything went well. Luckily, it was a normal delivery and she didn’t need a Caesarean section (operation). The doctor cut the cord and put the baby on her stomach. He said “Congratulations! It’s a healthy baby girl!”

She and her husband prepared their house before she went into hospital. They decorated the nursery. They also had to buy some baby equipment, such as a baby bath, a changing mat (on which they will change the baby’s nappies), a carry cot (so they can carry the baby around), a cot (for the baby to sleep in), a mobile (to hang over the cot so that the baby can see moving shapes) and more teddy bears than any baby can need. Friends have bought them baby clothes already, so they are as ready as they can be for their new baby.

March 19th, 2008

Some phrasal verbs contain two particles, such as “put up with”. With these phrasal verbs, you cannot generally separate the particles. So we say “put up with someone” (with “someone” at the end) and not, for example, “put up someone with”.

come up with = to find or produce: “We need to come up with a solution soon.”

get away with = to escape punishment: “He robbed a bank and got away with it.”

get on to = make contact with someone: “Can you get on to the suppliers and chase up our order?”

go in for = to do something because you enjoy it: “I don’t really go in for playing football.”

get round to = to find the time to do something: “I never seem to be able to get round to tidying up this room!”

go down with = to become ill: “So many people have gone down with the flu this year.”

go through with = to do something you promised to do, even though you don’t really want to do it: “She went through with the wedding, even though she had doubts.”

live up to = to do or behave as expected: “She’s living up to her reputation as a hard boss.”

look down on = to behave as if you are superior to others: “He really looks down on teachers.”

look up to = to admire and respect someone: “She looks up to her father.”

put down to = to think something is caused by a factor: “The failure can be put down to a lack of preparation.”

put up with = to tolerate: “She puts up with a lot from her husband.”

stand up for = to defend someone or something: “You need to stand up for your rights!”

March 18th, 2008

Here are some common phrasal verbs that you can use in business situations. All these phrasal verbs use “up”.

Build up = to make a business bigger, to develop contacts or a presence in the market: “We have built up the business over the years and it now employs over 20 people.”

Come up = happen unexpectedly: “I’m afraid I can’t make the meeting tomorrow. Something has come up.”

Divide up = distribute : “We can divide up the commission among the sales staff.”

Drive up = force up the prices or costs: “The uncertainty in the markets is driving up labour costs.”

Meet up = make an arrangement to meet: “What time should we meet up on Wednesday?”

Open up = make a new market accessible: “The new laws have opened up trade in many markets.”

Pass up = to not take an opportunity: “We can’t pass up this chance of increasing productivity.”

Set up = establish a company or arrange a meeting: “They set up the company in 1999.”
“I’ve set up a meeting between you and the suppliers for 11 am tomorrow.”

Start up = to start something new: “They’ve started up a new division in Southern Europe.”
(A start up is a new company, often internet-based.)

Write up = write a report or minutes: “It’ll take him at least a week to write up his findings.”

March 7th, 2008

Some common business phrasal verbs that use “on”.
Get on = (1) have a good relationship with someone: “She gets on well with the Accounts Director”

= (2) to progress: “How are you getting on with the launch?”

Take on = employ people: “We aren’t taking on any more staff this year.”

Go on = continue: “Please go on. I’d like to hear more about your plans for the new office.”

Sit on = to stall or delay something: “We proposed this some time ago, but the Chairman has been sitting on the plans and we’re no further forward.”

Build on = use your successes to go further: “They built on their early success and soon expanded to become the biggest catering firm in the South East.”

Crack on = work fast: “I’m sorry I can’t stop and talk - I need to crack on with some work.”

Work on = use your influence with someone: “Leave it with me - I’ll work on the boss over the next fortnight.”

Pick on = bully: “She feels that her colleagues are picking on her because she is so popular with management.”

Decide on = choose: “What colour have you decided on for the staff canteen?”

Hold on = wait: “Please hold on and I will see if Mr Harris is available.”

Pass on = give a message to someone: “I’ll pass your message on to her when she returns.”

Try on = test someone’s authority: “Don’t take any notice of his behaviour - he’s just trying it on with you!”

March 6th, 2008

There are many phrasal verbs that use ‘in’. Here is a small selection of some of the more common ones.
break in (1) = interrupt: “He broke in to their conversation to add that he couldn’t work overtime.”

break in / into (2) = burgle / steal: “Thieves broke into the warehouse and stole 100 computers.”

bring in (1) = introduce: “She has brought in some changes to the company.”

bring in (2) = receive income: “He brings in a lot of money as a computer programmer.”

cave in = accept someone’s idea or decision: “The unions finally caved in and accepted the new contracts.”

chip in = contribute: “We’re all chipping in for Maria’s birthday present.”

fill in (1) = complete: “You need to fill in this form.”

fill in (2) = act as a substitute: “As Robert is on holiday, you’ll have to fill in for him this week.”

fill in (3) = bring someone up to date: “Can you fill me in on the new project?”

fit in = be accepted by a group: “He doesn’t really fit in at work. He’s very different from us.”

give in = finally accept something: “She gave in to her children’s demands for sweets.”

hand in = give something to someone: “They handed in their assignment early.”

kick in = start to have an effect: “The painkillers have finally kicked in. I feel much better.”

lead in = start with something: “In our presentation, we are going to lead in with our vision for the future.”

move in = occupy a house: “Some new neighbours have moved in next door.”

take in (1) = understand: “I still can’t take in the news.”

take in (2) = deceive someone: “He really took me in with his hard-luck story.”

take in (3) = provide refuge: “She took the old couple in.”

work in = incorporate: “Is there any way of working in this paragraph? The text is a little unclear otherwise.”

March 5th, 2008

There are many phrasal verbs that use ‘out’. Here is a small selection of some of the more common ones.
back out = decide not to do something you first intended to do: “We can’t back out of the holiday now - we’ve already paid for it!”

break out = escape: “The prisoners managed to break out.”

bring out = make more noticeable: “The lemon brings out the taste of the strawberries.”

check out (1) = look at: “You’ve got to check out this new website - it’s really useful.”

check out (2) = investigate: “The police are checking out his story.”

cut out = eliminate: “He’s cut out all the fat from his diet and he’s a lot slimmer.”

eat out = eat in a restaurant: “Do you fancy eating out tonight?”

hand out = distribute: “The teacher handed out the books to the students.”

fill out = complete a form: “You need to fill out all the sections on this form.”

make out = see well: “I can’t make out the name on this envelope. Is it Jones or James?”

pass out = faint: “It was so hot in the room that she passed out.”

put out = inconvenience someone: “Thanks for your offer of letting us stay. Are you sure that we won’t be putting you out?”

stand out = be easily distinguishable: “With the way he dresses, he always manages to stand out!”

take out = withdraw money: “I’ve taken out a lot of money from my account recently.”

work out (1) = calculate: “We’ve worked out our profit margin.”

work out (2) = get better: “Everything worked out well in the end.”

work out (3) = understand: “I really can’t work it out. Why did she leave such a well-paid job?”

March 04th, 2008

We use some and any with uncountable nouns and plural nouns. The general rule is that you use “some” in positive sentences and “any” in negative sentences and questions.

“I have some ideas.”
“I don’t have any ideas.”
“Do you have any ideas?”

However, we can also use “some” in questions.
“Would you like some tea?” (I expect the answer to be “Yes”.)

When we use some in a question, we limit what we are offering the other person.

For example, “Can I get you something to drink? - Coffee, or tea?” means I am offering you a limited choice of things to drink.

When we use “any” in a question, we are not limiting the choice.

For example, “Would you like anything to drink?” includes a whole range of things to drink.
“Do you have any questions?” (You can ask me anything you like!)

We can also use any in positive sentences which have a negative meaning. We often use “any” with “hardly”, “without” or “never”.

“There’s hardly any petrol left in the car - we need to go to a garage.”
“He went out without any money on him.”
“She never has any problem understanding.”

March 03rd, 2008

It can be difficult to know when to use “make” and when to use “do”. Here are some tips to help you make the right choice.

We use “make” for more creative activities:

“She makes her own clothes.”

“He made a beautiful hat for the wedding.”

We also use “make” to describe functions of speech - what we are doing when we speak:

You make
… an offer (I’ll pay you $500 for your car)
… an appointment (Can we meet at 9 am?)
… an arrangement (Let’s meet at the station.)
… a promise (I’ll help you with this photocopying.)
… a threat (If you do that again, I’ll tell him.)
… a compromise
… a suggestion
… a promise
… a mistake
… a decision
… a point
… a complaint
… an excuse

There are also some “fixed expressions” with “make”:

“They made friends when they were at primary school.”

“He made fun of her new hairstyle.”

Other expressions are:

… make a fuss
… make a fortune
… make money
… make a profit / a loss
… make a journey
… make an effort
… make progress
… make a mess
… make a telephone call
… make a choice

One expression that uses either “do” or “make” is:
make a deal / do a deal (I’ll do it if you help me.)

Using do

We use “do” to refer to jobs, or responsabilties. These are often routine things, which do not involve much creativity or fun:

“I do the shopping once a week.”

“He does the gardening every weekend.”

“We have to do a lot of work on the house.”

You also do:
… your homework
… the housework
… a job
… the paperwork
… an exam

There are some fixed expressions that you can learn which use “do”:

“She does a lot of good in the community.”

“This chemical can do a lot of harm.”

“She always does favours for her colleagues.” (Do someone a favour - help someone)

Other expressions are:

… do something well / badly
… do your best
… do something right / wrong
… do the minimum / the maximum
… do damage