Lesson 24--Congratulate prepositions

Congratulate for/on

congratulate +for/on + noun or gerund

 

e.g.      I congratulated him on his new job.

            I congratulated him on getting a new job.

            She congratulated him for his big win.

            She congratulated him for winning the race.

            Congratulations on your new job.

Lesson 23--Maybe versus May be

Maybe             adverb, often used at the beginning of a sentence or end, to indicate                                               how likely and possible it is.

 

e.g.                  Maybe, he is at home.

                        I will talk to her later, maybe.

                        Maybe, the weather will be bad tomorrow.

                        Maybe he took the bus home.

 

May be            modal verb, often used after the subject of a sentence, to indicate how                 

                        likely and possible it is.

e.g.                  I may be late for work tomorrow.

                        I may be too tired to do my homework.

                        She may be spending time with her friends.

Lesson 22 Apply

 

 

 

Apply for        a job

                        a position

                        a scholarship

                        a loan

 

e.g.                  Jeremy applied for the position of coordinator.

                        Lisa applied for an academic scholarship.

                        Michael forgot to apply for a grant.

                        The bank turned down Martha's application for a loan.

Apply to          a company                      

e.g.                  I applied to Microsoft and Apple, but they didn't want to interview me.

                        This year Jason will apply to all of the tech companies in town.

 

notes:               apply (verb)

                        application (noun, thing)

                        applicant (noun, person)

                        applicable (adjective)

Lesson 21--Phrasal Verbs

To put off        =          delay, postpone

 

e.g.                              Rob put off his departure for a week.

                                    I put off my decision until Monday.

                                    Marie couldn't put off the decision any longer.

                                    Claire put off her trip because of the weather.

 

Notes:                          When you put off things constantly we call that procrastination.

                                   

Lesson 20--Using the word lack

meaning                       do not have

1) verb                         to lack something means not to have it.

e.g.                             I lack the money to buy a Playstation3.

                                   I lack the courage to confront her.

                                   He lacks the energy to do his homework.

 

2) noun                      There is a lack means that this doesn't exist.

e.g.                             There is a lack of time for this project.

                                   There is a lack of cooperation on the staff.

                                   A lack of money prevents me from buying a new car.

 

3) gerund     

             

e.g.                             Lacking time, he ate a restaurant.

                                   Lacking proper manners, he never pushed in his chair.

Synonyms include verbs: need, require,
                               nouns: a need*, a want*, deficiency, shortage

* yes, you can use these words as nouns.

Lesson 19--excel at/in

 Excel At/In

 

 

note:                this is the verb form of the adjective excellent.

meaning:          to be good/excellent at something

 

e.g.                  John excels at sports.

                        Maria excels in chemistry.

                        Mark received a scholarship because he excelled at basketball.

Though not the most common phrase, it will be very useful when talking about things you, or others, are good at.

 

 

Lesson 18: To Get Away With Something

 

Meaning:  to succeed in doing something wrong or illegal and not suffer any punishment.

e.g.      Robert got away with cheating on his girlfriend because nobody saw him.

            "You won't get away with it, " she screamed!  "The police will catch you!"

            The politician got away with taking bribes because nobody would testify against him.

Related idiom:              to get away with murder

Meaning:      emphasizing that someone got away with doing something very wrong.

 

e.g.      Jeannie was upset because her brother was allowed to do things that she
             hadn't been allowed  to do.  "You let him get away with murder," she complained bitterly.

Usefulness Factor:      8/10  You should find many opportunities to use this one..

Lesson 17--Phrasal Verb: To make up for something

to equal something else as compensation

 

e.g.                              The insurance money didn't make up for the loss of his car.

                                    I worked out hard today to make up for skipping yesterday's                                                           session.

                                    Saying sorry won't make up for what you did.

                                    How can I make up for missing class yesterday?

Notes:  This multi-word phrasal verb is not seperable.
             You should find this phrasal verb quite useful
             

Lesson 16: Sorry....What does it mean?

One of the readers asked me to write something about the word sorry.  Such a simple word, is actually full of complexity.  It will take more than one post.  Check back on Wednesday for more about sorry.

 

Sorry               Used as an apology when you've done something wrong
                        (like stepping on my foot on the subway)

Sorry               Used when you haven't heard what someone said, much
                        like the word pardon.

Sorry               Used when you want to show sympathy or pity with someone
                        else.

 

Sorry               Used when you're not sorry at all.  (sarcastically)

Notice the uses in the following dialogues

John:                Did you drink my last beer?

Adam:             Yes, I did. Sorry.

Marcia:            Has anyone seen my umbrella?

Patricia:           Sorry.  What are you looking for?

Marcia:            My umbrella.  Have you seen it?

Patricia:           No, I am afraid not.

Tammy:           What's wrong Jim?  You look so sad.

Jim:                  My dog died yesterday?

Tammy:           I'm sorry.