Lesson 60--Talk into/out of

 

 

Phrasal Verbs

To talk someone into something.    =   Convince someone to do something.

e.g.      I talked my brother into driving me to the airport.

            The salesman talked me into buying a more expensive computer.

            I couldn't talk him into coming with us.

            She's so convincing (and beautiful) that she could talk me into anything.

 

This phrase if quite common and should be useful.  The opposite is just as useful, and should be easy to remember.

To talk someone out of something  =    Convince someone not to do something.

e.g.      I talked him out of jumping off the bridge.

            I wasn't able to talk her out of leaving.

            She talked me out of buying a motorcycle.

            Don't try and talk me out of this!  I'm doing it!

Lesson 59--GO FASTER!

Go Faster!!

 

 

Here are some expressions you can use to tell people to go faster.  I used exclamation marks to put even more emphasis on it.

Hurry up!

Speed up!

Pick up the pace!

Get the lead out!

Stop dragging your feet!

Put it in overdrive!

Hop to it!

Chop chop!* (this one isn't so common these days)

Lesson 58--Unusual Plurals

English loves to bring in words from other countries.  We have adapted many into English.  This can be a problem for foreign learners because they might be too similar, or too different.  Here is a short list (this is not all of them) of words that have unusual plural forms because they come from another language.  Today's examples are either Latin or Greek.


Singular                               Plural

oasis                                                             oases
crisis                                                            crises
phenomenon                                                phenomena                                                     
cactus                                                           cacti
bacterium                                                     bacteria
criterion                                                       criteria
formula                                                        formulae
nucleus                                                         nuclei
fungus                                                          fungi
appendix                                                      appendices

Please take a moment to look up these words (and their pronunciation) in the dictionary--there is an online dictionary that will pronounce the words if you want to hear them (howjsay.com)

Lesson 57: Rich and Poor

 

I thought it might be a good idea to review some vocabulary for rich and poor.  These are all phrases that you are likely to hear on TV.

Rich

filthy rich

stinking rich

wealthy

loaded

moneybags

well-off

well-to-do

 

Poor

dirt poor

penniless

indigent

destitute

broke

financially challenged (used more as a joke)

Lesson 56--Run out of

Run out of  =  reduction of something until there is nothing left.

  i.e. I am running out of money.  (I have some, but soon it will be gone.)
        I ran out of money.  (I have no more money.)

Things you can run out of:  time, money, patience, energy, gas, luck.....

examples

I ran out of time before I could finish the exam.
I ran out of patience and gave up on the crossword puzzle.
Everything was fine on the trip to Montreal, until we ran out of gas.

Other Forms

Interestingly, there is another way to organize this expression.

My money ran out.
Time has run out.

Please experiment and enjoy.

Lesson 55--A chance for you to participate

 

 

After 54 lessons, I want to turn the blog over to you for a day.  I want you to participate in teaching something.

Do you have a favourite expression?  Is there something you have learned that you want to share with other people?  I am inviting you to type your ideas and send them in to the comments box below.  This is a chance for you to teach each other.  I am looking forward to your ideas.

Lesson 54--house and home collocations

 

 

This is a small list of interesting house and home collocations.  There are many more of them.  If you are interested, please check a dictionary for more of them.

 

• homework:  the work the teacher gives the students to do at home (even if they are too busy to do it).
• homebody:  someone who prefers to spend time at home, rather than go out.
• home-made:  something that is made at home and not bought at a store, like cakes or bread.
• home loan:  also called a mortgage, the money borrowed from the bank to buy a house.

• housework:  the chores and jobs done around the house, like washing the dishes.
• houseboat:  a house that floats on the water and is mobile.
• house-broken:  trained, like a dog not to go to the bathroom in the house.
• housecoat:  like a robe, usually only warn at home.

Lesson 53--I am full

 

 

One reader asked how to express themselves when they are no longer hungry.  So here are some useful phrases you can use.

I'm full.

I'm stuffed.

I've had enough.

I couldn't eat another bite.

I think I ate too much.

If I eat another bite, I am going to explode.

Try them out next time you are having a meal with someone.  While none of them are really formal, they aren't too informal to use with most people.  If you are not sure, stick with the first two.

Lesson 52--Tired

 

 

Ways to say that you're tired.

 

Modify by using an adverb.

I am tired.

I am really tired.

I am really, really, tired.

I am very tired.

I am extremely tired.

Choose other vocabulary.

I am beat.

I am bushed.

I am worn out.

I am exhausted.

Use some expressions.

I am asleep on my feet.

I can't keep my eyes open.

I am about to pass out.

 

 

Lesson 51--more sleep

 

Here are some useful sleep expressions.  Most of them are common, and they are pretty useful as you can use them, and you will probably hear them on television.

 

to nap/to take a nap:    a short sleep to rest and get more energy.

to nod off:                   to fall asleep while doing something else, like watching TV.

to doze:                       to sleep and wake and sleep again.

to snooze:                    to sleep.

to crash (out):              to sleep (slang expression).

to catch some zzz's:     to sleep (maybe this one is a little old).

to hit the hay:              to sleep (also a little old).

Lesson 50--sleep

To sleep in = sleep later than normal, on purpose.

To oversleep = sleep later than normal, accidentally.

Short Quiz (click on the Quiz Answers button in the top right corner to see the answers--don't assume you are right.)

1. I _______ because my alarm didn't go off.
2. I had a chance to ________ this morning because work started late.
3. I usually _______ on Sunday.
4. If I __________, my whole day is ruined.
5. I missed my bus because I ________.

Lesson 49--From Zero to Hero

 

 

 

From zero to hero

i.e.       When he scored the winning goal, he went from zero to hero.

            After her presentation, she went from zero to hero.

definition:  when someone goes from looking bad to being a hero, or when someone goes from being last to first.

Though this is not specifically about hockey, this idiom applies to lots of sports and business situations.

Other similar idioms

from the outhouse to the penthouse

Lesson 48--Hockey Vocabulary Continued

 

 

Hopefully you enjoyed learning some useful vocabulary in lesson 47.  Today, we give you some more.

playoff round:

A round is a series of games between two teams.  The team that wins the majority of the matches, continues to the next round.  To win the Stanley Cup you need to win four rounds of the playoffs. 

Best of seven:

Each round has a maximum of seven games.  To be the winner you need to win four of them.  The round is over once that is done, regardless of how many games have been played.

Sweep:

If one team beats the other team in four straight games, we call that a sweep.  Remember that sweep is an irregular verb.

i.e.  Toronto swept Montreal.