Lesson 302--Making the most of it

They're making the most of their vacation.

 

An important English phrase is "make the most of it".  This means to take full advantage of a situation.  People often use this when they want to explain why they are doing so much, often in a short time or when they are on vacation.

examples

George rarely takes vacation, but when he does he tries hard to make the most of it.  He does a lot of activities and tours.

We only have a few days left, so we had better make the most of them.

If your vacation is short you have to make the most of it.

Melanie thought summer was too short in Toronto, so she made the most of it.

Make the most of your trip to EC Toronto.

Lesson 301--More Rhyming Phrases

Since rhyming phrases were so popular I thought I would give you some more of them.

 

roly-poly = used to describe a heavy person.

He's so roly-poly I think we could roll him down the street.

 

 

 

 

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wishy-washy = used to describe someone who changes their mind all the time, is indecisive and weak.

Stop being so wish-washy and make up your mind.  The movie starts soon and I don't want to miss it.

Lesson 300--rhyming adjectives

In Canada (and other English speaking parts of the world) we have some interesting rhyming words that we use to describe things.

plain Jane = not particularly glamorous or gorgeous, or just plane.

examples

I don't like that actress.  She so plain Jane.

Bobby wants a couple of those plain Jane donuts.

artsy-fartsy = artistic, but somewhat negative in meaning.

examples

I don't like going to artsy-fartsy events.

The crowd was too artsy-fartsy for Helena's taste.

humdrum = boring, uninteresting

examples

It was a rather humdrum evening.

The movie was so humdrum that he fell asleep before it ended.

Lesson 299--Pay in Cash

When using the word pay, special care is needed with the prepositions

Look at the examples below.

pay in cash

pay cash

pay by credit card

pay by debit card

Also, when speaking to a salesclerk you might get one of the following questions.

How would you like to pay for that?

How will you be paying?

Is that cash, credit or debit?

possible answers

I'll pay cash.

I'll pay in cash.

I'll pay by credit card/debit card.

I'll use my credit card/debit card.

Lesson 298--take apart (surprise meanings included)

 

 

Phrasal verbs are quite important.  We can use other words, but you will probably hear the phrasal verb more often than its Latin based counterpart.  Today we look at a word that means disassemble.

take apart

examples

He took apart the television and now I can't watch the Big Bang Theory.

When Judy was finished the puzzle she took it apart and put it back in the box.

Mathew took apart the Lego building he made so he could do it again.

slang meaning  =  to hurt or beat someone

 

 

Manny Paquiao took apart his opponent in the boxing match.

In complete rage, Martha took apart Janice and put her in the hospital.

Lesson 297--Insist on

 

 

A good verb and preposition collocation is insist on.  Insist means strongly recommend, or strongly need or want.

examples

I insist on having fruit for breakfast.

James insists on being present for all interviews.

The school insists on taking attendance at 9:00.

When I was young, the teacher insisted on regular attendance.

Lesson 296--Vocabulary for losing your job

 

Words that mean you have lost your job.

English is full of words that mean you have lost your job.  Here are some examples.

You're fired.

You are being asked to leave.

We are letting you go.

You're sacked.

We're giving you the boot.

It's time you moved on.

Today's your last day at work here.

Basically the same, but maybe you lost your job because of the economy

Were downsizing your position.

We're restructuring and there isn't a position for you.

We're laying you off.

You're being made redundant.

You're laid off.

We're laying you off.

We've outsourced your role in the company.

Lesson 295--It Rings A Bell

 

When something sounds familiar, we often use this phrase.  Although it is quite common, it is not considered cliché.

examples

A:  Do you know Jimmy Matthews?

B:  His name rings a bell.

I can't remember Mark Smith, but his name rings a bell.

It doesn't have to be about people.  It can be about things as well.

A:  Have you heard the song "Love is Battlefield"?

B:  The title rings a bell.  How does it go?

Lesson 294--Useful Passives

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One interesting way of expressing popular opinions in English involves a very useful passive sentence:  Something is believed/said/thought to be.

 

Instead of saying:  Everyone (mostly everyone) thinks he died.

We say:                 He is thought/believed to have died.       

This is particularly good, especially if we don't believe these ideas.

The New York Yankees are thought to be the best baseball team, but I think it is the Toronto Blue Jays.

Other examples:

Subway is thought to be Healthier than McDonalds.

Flying is believed to be safer than driving.

Exercise is thought to be as important as dieting.

Anne Hathaway is said to be the most beautiful actress in Hollywood.  I like Winona Ryder more.

Lesson 293--using prefer

Prefer is a great verb to use because it can be followed by so many things and it can make some great sentences

Prefer + gerund

I prefer walking.

I prefer flying.

Prefer + nouns

I prefer the Playstation.

I prefer pizza.

Of course, the best thing is that you can make longer sentences using the comparative preposition "to"

I prefer flying to driving.

I prefer pizza to any other food.

You can also use infinitives, but you should not use the preposition "to" because it is very confusing.

I prefer to walk

I prefer to eat pizza.

When using would, the infinitive is prefered.

I'd prefer to walk home tonight.

I would prefer to watch the new Xmen movie.