Let's learn English...

Mr Duncan_English lessons_4

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:50:00 +0000

Mr Duncan_English lessons_3

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:32:00 +0000

Mr Duncan_English lessons_2

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:12:00 +0000

Mr Duncan_English lessons_1

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:01:00 +0000

Mr Duncan_English class_Perface

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:47:00 +0000

English Mini Lesson - Memorial Day

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:17:00 +0000

Episode 82: A tour of the flat

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:56:00 +0000

Helen:	So that's Tim's room, the bathroom's over there, and your bedroom is here. It's got a desk and chair and all that, so you shouldn't need any more furniture.
Khalid:	Ok, that looks ok. erm, what do you guys do about housework?
Alice:	Everybody kind of chips in, don't they Tim?
Tim:	Yes, Alice, we all do our bit.
Alice:	We keep all the cleaning stuff in this cupboard here.
Khalid:	Ok, I see.
Helen:	So, what do you think?
Khalid:	It's a very nice room, and you guys are great and everything, but I have to say, I think it's a little bit pricey. I wonder if it would be possible to reduce the rent a little bit?
Helen:	Well, I'm afraid it isn't up to me Khalid, I'll have to ask my dad about that.

Grammar Point 82
Vague language

We use vague language when we do not want to be (or cannot be) exact, accurate and precise.

There are some phrases that are useful when we want to say that something is similar to something else, but it is not exactly the same. We often use these phrases because we can’t find the exact word that we need.

kind of and sort of:

We can use these phrases before nouns and adjectives:
A paramedic is a kind of doctor, or perhaps it is a sort of nurse. I’m not sure, but they help injured people.
I’m kind of happy that school has finished, but I’ll miss my friends.

We can also use kind of and sort of before ‘like’ or ‘similar to’:
Australian Rules Football is kind of like soccer and rugby combined.
New Zealand is sort of similar to Britain.

-ish:
We can add ‘ish’ to adjectives and numbers to mean 'approximately'.
How old is he? I’m not sure, perhaps fortyish.
And he’s got blueish eyes, or are they greenish? I’m not so sure.

All of the following words can be used to represent a noun when we do not know the real word or when we can’t remember it.

a whatsit	a whatsitcalled
a thingummy	a thingummyjig

You need one of those... oh, you know, you need a whatsit to open that bottle.
You mean a corkscrew?
That’s it!

Thingummy can be used to mean someone’s name.
Have you seen, erm, thingummy, you know, the guy with glasses?

Thing refers to single countable objects (e.g. a car, a mouse)
Things refers to plural countable objects (e.g. clothes, spiders, pens)
Stuff refers to uncountable objects (e.g. oil, information) or a collection of countable objects (like things) e.g. a lot of clothes, shopping items.

We often use these words when both the speaker and the listener know which objects are being discussed, or when we don’t know the exact word, or even when there isn’t an exact word.

Where do you keep all the cleaning stuff?
'the cleaning stuff' means all the different things that are used to clean a house: mops, brushes, creams and polishes.

I can’t clean your bedroom floor, there’s loads of stuff/things all over it.
'loads of stuff/things' probably means toys, socks, papers etc.

I need a thing to stop my washing machine from leaking, you know, a round rubber thing that goes on the main pipe.

All of the following phrases have a similar meaning to 'approximately' but they are less formal.

about: It’ll take you about 20 minutes to drive there.
roughly: There were roughly 50 people at the lecture.
more or less: There’s twenty minutes till the end of the game, more or less.

When there are more examples that you can give, but you don’t need to, you can use ‘etcetera’ and ‘and all that sort of thing’. It is possible to shorten ‘and all that sort of thing’ to ‘and all that’.

We had a great time in Egypt. We saw the Nile, Cairo, the pyramids etcetera.
In my office job, I have to do the filing, manage the scheduling, answer the phones and all that sort of thing.
David’s a great team captain. He’s decisive, determined and all that.

everybody chips in
everybody helps or contributes to doing a task

we all do our bit
we all contribute fairly to doing a task

pricey
expensive

I’m afraid
I regret to say/ I’m sorry to say (a polite expression used when saying ‘no’)
It isn’t up to me
It’s not my choice. I can’t/don’t decide this

Episode 81: Hello stranger!

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:44:00 +0000

Khalid:	Hello, stranger!
Helen:	Ooh, hi Khalid! How are you? It's been ages, hasn't it?
Khalid:	I know! I haven't seen you since the barbecue.
Helen:	Oh yeah, the barbecue. It was a smashing day wasn't it? But poor Alice was really ill the next day.
Khalid:	Was she?
Helen:	She had to go to the doctors. But she's as right as rain now. Anyway Khalid, what's happening with you?
Khalid:	Well, I've just enrolled on a part-time course here at the university, and I'm still a student at the language school!
Helen:	Wow! So you're studying hard?
Khalid:	Of course! But it's not easily to study at home. My flatmates are really rowdy and I can never get any peace and quiet.
Helen:	Hmm... I might be able to help you with that.

Archive Language Point 81
Binomials: peace and quiet

There are many phrases in English that use two words connected with ‘and’. For example, peace and quiet, fish and chips. These expressions are known as binomials. In these phrases the word order is usually fixed; we say ‘peace and quiet’, we don’t say ‘quiet and peace’.

The following binomials are all noun phrases, although there are also many adjective and verb phrases that are binomials.

Many binomials combine words which are similar or closely connected in meaning:

peace and quiet: freedom from noise and disturbance
He sent his children to the park so that he could have some peace and quiet.

life and times: the story of someone’s life, especially in its social context
I’m reading a book about the life and times of Winston Churchill. It’s fascinating.

law and order: the maintenance of a good society because people follow the laws and criminals are caught and punished.
After the war there was a serious breakdown in law and order. It has taken a long time for the police to gain control of the situation.

Other binomials refer to things that are closely or frequently connected:

fish and chips: the popular and traditional take-away food in Britain
I can’t be bothered to cook, I’ll go and get some fish and chips.

salt and vinegar: the condiments or flavourings that are often had with chips
Do you want salt and vinegar on your chips?

pros and cons: the advantages and disadvantages of something; the things for and against something.
What are the pros and cons of capital punishment?

Many binomials combine words that rhyme:

odds and sods: a collection of small and unimportant things. Odds and ends has the same meaning.
I’ve done all the important building work; I’ve just got the odds and sods left, you know, like fitting the door handles.

hustle and bustle: a lot of noise and activity
I love the hustle and bustle of city life. I’d get bored in the countryside.

Many binomials use alliteration. This is when the sounds at the beginning of the words are similar.

rest and relaxation: a time of inactivity, for example when on holiday
The doctor said I need some rest and relaxation; I’ve been working too hard.

trials and tribulations: the difficult challenges that we face in life
Remember, while marriage is a wonderful thing, it also has its own trials and tribulations, which you both have to survive.

Many binomials combine grammar words such as prepositions and conjunctions.

ups and downs: the good and bad times in life
The ups and downs of life are similar all over the world, but people react differently to them.

ins and outs: the details and fine points of something.
I don’t know all the ins and outs, but it seems the Prime Minister has made a serious mistake.

down and out: a homeless and jobless person. This is also often used as an adjective.
Did you see the poor down and out sleeping in the park? Should we tell the police about him?’

ifs and buts: the reasons why someone doesn’t want to do something; their objections
Whenever we try to change the work routines, the workers have so many ifs and buts that we never manage to change anything.

Many common binomials are referred to by an abbreviation of the initial letters.

R and R: rest and relaxation
I'm going on a 2 week beach holiday. I really need some R and R.

P and P: postage and packing – usually seen when you buy something that needs delivery.
You know you want to buy that bicycle over the Internet? Did you check that the price includes P and P?

R and D: research and development – usually a department in an industrial business.
Sony has a very strong R and D division: that’s why they keep coming up with new products.

Hello stranger
an informal greeting used when we meet a friend after a long time of not seeing them

It’s been ages
we haven’t seen each other for a very long time (it’s been ages since we last met.)

smashing
excellent, great, wonderful

right as rain
feeling completely healthy and well

rowdy
noisy and disturbing

Episode 80: Skating on thin ice

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:25:00 +0000

Alice:	Are you enjoying yourself, Helen?
Helen:	Do you know what? I'm having a really good time. Thanks for dragging me out, guys.
Tim:	It's just nice to see you smiling, Helen.
Helen:	Hey, is that Paul over there?
Tim:	Hey yeah, it is him, isn't it?
Helen:	It is, you know, but who's that with him? Are they his kids? Alice? Has Paul got children?
Alice:	Yes, he's got two children actually.
Tim:	So that means he's got a wife.
Alice:	They're not together any more, and they're getting a divorce.
Tim:	Are you sure about that?
Alice:	Well, that's what he told me, and I believe him. He's a good man.
Helen:	Ooh, Alice, you're skating on very thin ice.
Alice:	Maybe I am Helen, but I can't let him go.
Helen:	You really love him, don't you?
Alice:	Helen, I really do.

Grammar Point 80
Idioms with 'ice'

Idioms use language metaphorically. This means that the meaning of an idiom is not the same as the meanings of the individual words in the idiom. For example, if you ‘go down memory lane’, it means you think about the past (the metaphorical meaning), not that you walk down a street called ‘Memory Lane’ (the literal meaning).

Idioms are fixed groups of words. This means that the wording of an idiom can not be changed. For example, you can say ‘go down memory lane’, but you can't say ‘go down memory street’. Idioms are often verb phrases, for example: 'go down memory lane' but they can also be nouns: 'memory lane' is an idiomatic noun which refers to the idea of memories and nostalgia.

to skate on thin ice:
To take a big risk. This verb is often used in the continuous form.
He's having a secret relationship with a married woman: I've told him that he's skating on thin ice, but he won't listen to me.

to be on thin ice:
This has the same meaning as to skate on thin ice– to take a big risk.
They knew that publishing the article meant that they were on thin ice.

to break the ice:
To make people who have not met before feel more relaxed and comfortable with each other.
Experienced teachers usually start a new class with a game to break the ice.

an ice-breaker:
An activity which helps people who have not met before to feel more relaxed and comfortable with each other.
As an ice-breaker, we wrote an interesting fact about ourselves on a piece of paper. The teacher read out all the facts, and we had to guess which person had written which fact.

to cut no ice with someone:
To fail to have an influence on someone's beliefs or actions.
She made a lot of excuses for her bad behaviour, but they cut no ice with me.

to put something on ice:
to ice something:
to be on ice:
These idioms have the same meaning: to stop doing something temporarily, with a plan to finish or complete it later.
The plans for the new building have been put on ice until next year.
The plans for the new building have been iced until next year.
The plans for the new building are on ice until next year.

dragging me out
making me go out with you even though I didn’t really want to

divorce (n)
a formal, legal separation of husband and wife

skating on very thin ice (idiom)
taking a big risk

Episode 79: Stop moping!

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:32:00 +0000

Helen:	Hey guys.
Alice:	Hey Helen!
Tim:	Hey Helen, good day?
Helen:	Not really...
Tim:	Look Helen, I'm going to call a spade a spade. Michal isn't coming back and you've got to stop moping around. You can't spend all day sitting by yourself watching telly. It's a new year, and it's time to pull yourself together and start living your life again .
Alice:	He's right, Helen - you need to turn over a new leaf and start enjoying yourself again.
Helen:	I suppose you might be right. I have got into a bit of a rut lately.
Alice:	A bit! You haven't been out for weeks! Come on Helen, it'll do you good to let your hair down. It'll do me good too. Let's go out and have some fun.
Tim:	Yeah, let's do that.
Helen:	What, now?
Alice:	Yes, now! Come on Helen, get your act together and let's go!

Grammar Point 79
Idioms: Life and living

Idioms use language metaphorically rather than literally. If you ‘let your hair down’, it means you relax and enjoy yourself, not that you untie your hair and let it fall.

Idioms are also fixed groups of words so you can't change the wording of an idiom. For example, you can say ‘He calls a spade a spade’ to mean that he’s very clear and direct, but you can’t say ‘He calls a hammer a hammer.’

To be stuck in a rut: to live or work in a situation that never changes, so you feel bored. A rut is a deep narrow track left in soft ground by a wheel, so you are stuck in something which only goes in one direction and which you cannot escape.

“Working for this supermarket is not good for me. I'm just stuck in a rut, stacking the same shelves with the same products every day. I wish I could do something different.”

To turn over a new leaf: to make a fresh start; to change your life in a positive way, perhaps to stop a bad habit or to make a positive change to your character. ‘New leaf' refers to a blank page in a book, so you turn over a new leaf to start again.

“Since his arrest for vandalism, little Johnny has turned over a new leaf. I even saw him picking up litter the other day.”

To be on an even keel: for things to be steady and stable, without any sudden changes. The ‘keel' refers to the bottom of a ship. So, if it is even, the ship is stable.

“After all my problems last year with the divorce and losing my job, I'm on a much more even keel now. I've got a new job and I've found a nice place to rent.”

To let your hair down: to relax and enjoy yourself, when normally you don't relax much. A woman may tie her hair up on her head: if she lets it down she releases it and it hangs free. In the same way, if you relax, you release yourself and behave more freely.

“I haven't been out to a party for ages – I've been too busy with my new job. So, tonight I'm going to let my hair down and enjoy myself!”

To burn the candle at both ends: to exhaust yourself by overworking or doing too much of one (or more than one) activity. If you burn a candle at both ends, it is soon finished.

“You can't keep burning the candle at both ends . You can't do that job and also work on the computer every night. You need to relax properly.”

To burn the midnight oil: to stay awake late at night, especially to study or work. Before electricity, lamps were fuelled by oil, so if you stayed up late you were burning oil at midnight.

“There's only one week until the exams, and I haven't done any revision yet. I'm going to have to burn the midnight oil if I want to pass the exams.”

To paint the town red: to have a lively, enjoyable night out, often to celebrate something.

“I'm going to paint the town red tonight. I passed all my exams with A grades! So, I think we'll go to my favourite restaurant, then a couple of bars and then let's go clubbing!”

To call a spade a spade: to describe something as it exactly is; to avoid euphemisms, even if doing this might upset or offend people.

“If I don't like a meal I always tell the cook. I don't say that the flavour could have been a little stronger. I tell them it was tasteless. I call a spade a spade and I don't care what people think.”

To beat around the bush: to avoid or delay talking about something embarrassing or unpleasant.

“I know it's difficult but don't beat around the bush. Tell them directly and firmly that they are being sacked because their work is not good enough. It'll be worse if you take a long time to tell them, and if the message isn't clear.”

To cut to the chase: to immediately start dealing with the important part of something. This idiom comes from the movies. If you cut to the chase, you go to the exciting part of the film, when the good guys are chasing the bad guys. You ignore the boring conversational scenes.

“Ok, I'm going to cut to the chase. This restaurant is losing money for one reason only. And that reason is the cooking – it's awful.”

To not pull any punches: to show your disapproval or criticism clearly, without trying to hide anything or weaken the strength of the criticism. If a boxer pulls a punch, he/she doesn't hit with his/her full possible force.

“Well, the new restaurant manager didn't pull any punches. He just told us the food was disgusting and we have to improve.”

moping / moping around
staying at home being miserable and inactive because you are unhappy

telly
television (informal)

Episode 78: Not much luck

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:24:00 +0000

Helen:	...no, no, that's ok, thanks for calling... I hope you'll find somewhere soon - bye!
Tim:	Was that another call about the room?
Helen:	Yeah, but he works right over the other end of town. He said the commute would be too much.
Alice:	Mmm, the last one said that too, didn't he?
Helen:	I know. We're not having much luck here.
Tim:	What about the guy who came round yesterday?
Helen/Alice:	No!!!
Helen:	Eeeww, he was really creepy.
Alice:	I know... the one before that was alright though... clean-cut.
Helen:	He was very respectable, but a bit posh, I thought...
Tim:	So, what happened to him then?
Helen:	He said it was too expensive. Do you think we should put the advert in the paper for another week?

Grammar Point 78
Describing people 3

charming
strong personal attractiveness, with very pleasing behaviour and speech; delightful
Everything about him was attractive, but his smile was especially charming.

clean-cut
neat, tidy, clean and smart in appearance
He's very clean-cut. His clothes are always clean and neatly ironed, he shaves every morning and his hair is always combed.

cultured
well-educated in and having a high appreciation of fine art, music, literature etc.
She's very cultured – she goes to the opera at least once a month and she knows all of Shakespeare's plays.

considerate
behaving in a way that shows caring for other people's feelings, circumstances, etc.
When he comes home late at night, he's always very considerate of the sleeping neighbours and doesn't make any noise.

open-minded
being receptive to new ideas, experiences or arguments
If you want to enjoy foreign travel, it's best to be open-minded.

respectable
behaving in a proper and socially acceptable way
Everybody thought that he was a respectable family man, but secretly he was a gambler and a drunk.

tolerant
accepting of the beliefs, practices, or behaviour of other people, even if it is new, challenging or different
She is very tolerant with the children. She doesn't get angry with them, even though they are a little bit naughty sometimes.

creepy
unpleasant, annoying, weird, a little bit scary, makes you feel uncomfortable
Do you know that creepy guy who works in our office? He's always staring at me, and sometimes when I turn round, he's standing right next to me, but I never hear anything – he's just suddenly there!

hypocritical
pretending to have beliefs or principles that you do not actually possess, or acting against the beliefs which you say you have
My brother told me to stop smoking, but he smokes 20 a day himself – how hypocritical!

insincere
not honest or genuine in the expression of feelings
He wasn't a real gentleman. His false charm and cold smile made him seem very insincere.

malicious
often doing bad things in order to hurt people
It's just his determination and wanting to win and sometimes he gets a bit over-excited, but he isn't at all malicious.

materialistic
much more concerned with material things than with spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values
Those girls are greedy and materialistic: they measure their success in terms of how many pairs of shoes and designer handbags they have.

mercenary
motivated by a desire for money
He's so mercenary – he doesn't care what he has to do at work, as long as the pay is good.

ruthless
without pity or mercy
He was so ruthless in his criticism of their performance that most of them started to cry.

snobbish
a person who admires people of high rank or social class, and dislikes people in a lower class than him/herself
He's so snobbish. He was very friendly towards
Jane until he found out her dad was a taxi driver. Now he hardly speaks to her.

spiteful
wanting to do something bad to someone, usually because of a belief that they have done something bad to you
She's so spiteful. When she saw that I had got the last piece of cake, she pushed me, to make me drop it.

stubborn
resistant to change, especially of opinions and ideas, even if others are negatively affected
Izzy is so stubborn. Everybody could see she was tired, but she wouldn't let anybody else help her.

commute
to travel regularly over some distance, for example, suburb into a city and back, often for work

respectable
behaves in a proper and socially acceptable way

clean-cut
neat, tidy, clean and smart in appearance

creepy
unpleasant, annoying, weird, a little bit scary, makes you feel uncomfortable

Jenny's Video Lesson - Prepositions - Common Mistakes in English

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Wed, 21 May 2008 01:55:00 +0000

Jenny's Video Lesson - Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Wed, 21 May 2008 01:42:00 +0000

Episode 77: Writing an advert

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:32:00 +0000

Alice:	Right, how does this sound? Wanted: student or young professional...
Tim:	... male student or young professional.
Alice:	Ok. From the top. Wanted: male student or young professional for bright, sunny room in flatshare.
Tim:	... in mixed flatshare ...
Alice:	... for bright, sunny room in mixed flatshare. Must be clean, tidy and easy-going. Close to shops, pubs and buses. Reasonable rent.
Helen:	Shouldn't we say something about the cat? He might be allergic.
Alice:	Ooh, yeah, good point. Must be clean, tidy, easy-going and must like cats. Ooh, and shall we say something about, you know, the dishwasher, tv, broadband.
Helen:	Yeah, put 'all mod cons'.
Alice:	Ok, mixed flatshare with all mod cons. Shall I read it back to you?
Tim:	Yeah, and then call the small ads department at the Gazette. Or we could go with the Courier.

Small ads vocabulary - accommodation

Small ads are short advertisements which are found in local and national newspapers, and sometimes on notice boards in shops, colleges etc. In newspaper and magazine adverts, each word and/or letter has to be paid for, so to make them cheaper, people often use short forms and abbreviations, and some non-essential words are not used.

This worksheet will focus on the language used to advertise accommodation.

Advertisers often state what type of person they are looking for. They generally do this by using adjectives, such as clean, quiet, etc. but nouns and compound nouns may be used too.

professional / prof. (adj/n)
somebody who has a job.
Examples:
Rooms available: professionals only.
Prof. male required for shared house.

mature (adj)
this word is used to describe an older, quieter, more responsible person.
Example:
Mature lady wanted for single room.

easy-going (adj)
friendly and relaxed.
Example: Easy-going guy wanted for student house.

n/s (adj/n) non-smoker
Example:
n/s prof. lady wanted for single room.

landlord / landlady (n)
The person who owns the accommodation. A landlord is male, a landlady is female.

tenant (n)
The person who pays rent to live in the accommodation.

lodger (n)
A person who lives with his / her landlord.

mixed (adj)
This means that both men and women are living in the accommodation.

flatshare / houseshare (n)
This refers to the situation of sharing a house or flat with people who are not your family.
Example:
Alice says: 'bright, sunny room in mixed flatshare.'

bedsit (n)
A type of accommodation where you live and sleep in the same room. The bathroom and kitchen may be shared with other people who live in the same building.
Example:
Bedsit to let: suit student or young professional.

self-contained (adj)
Self-contained accommodation means that the kitchen, bathroom and other rooms are not shared with anyone else, and the accommodation has its own door which is not used by anyone else.
Example:
Self-contained single flat to let.

studio flat /apartment (n)
A flat or apartment which does not have a separate bedroom and/or kitchen, but it has its own bathroom.
Example:
Clean, quiet studio flat. Reasonable rent.

(fully) furnished / part furnished / unfurnished (adj)
Advertisers often say how much furniture is provided.
fully furnished = all the necessary furniture is provided.
part furnished = some of the necessary furniture is provided: the tenant might have to buy some additional furniture.
unfurnished = no furniture is provided.

single room / double room
A single room is suitable for one person; a double room is suitable for two people.
Example:
Single room avail. end March.

bed
Bedroom.
Example:
3 bed flat avail. Dec. Reasonable rent.

all mod cons
'mod cons' means 'modern conveniences' – things like a telephone, washing machine, dishwasher etc.
Example:
2 bed flat avail. Dec. Reasonable rent.

close to all amenities
amenities are shops and services that people like to have close to their houses – such as schools, banks, doctors, stations etc.
Example:
3 bed house avail. Dec. suit family. 5 mins from schools & amenities.

reasonable rent:
Advertisers do not always write the exact cost of the accommodation in the advertisement. 'Reasonable' usually means that the rent is not too expensive, or that it is the same as the rent for other similar accommodation in the same area.

negotiable / negot.
This means that the landlord is willing to talk about the rent and agree on a price that is acceptable to both the landlord and the tenant.

pcm
per calendar month. Sometimes rent has to be paid every 4 weeks, but pcm means that the rent is payable on the same date each month, often the 1st.
Example:
Bedsit to let. £500 pcm.

incl.
Inclusive – the rent includes the cost of gas, electricity etc.
Example:
Wanted: young prof. for studio flat. Rent £200 pcm incl.

deposit / dep. (n)
This is an amount of money which the tenant pays to the landlord / landlady when s/he moves in to the accommodation. The landlord / landlady gives the money back to the tenant when s/he moves out.
Example:
3-bed flat avail. end Dec / beg. Jan. £500 pcm + £500 dep.

avail.
Available

end
At the end of

beg.
At the beginning of

to let
Available for rent

suit
Suitable for (a particular type of person)
Example:
To let: 2 bed flat. avail. beg. Jan. Suit n/s prof.

from the top
repeat from the beginning

mixed
both men and women are living in the same house

close to all amenities
amenities are shops and services that people like to have close to their houses – such as schools, banks, doctors, stations etc.

allergy
an unusual sensitiveness of the body which causes certain people to be affected in a bad way by something usually harmless

all mod cons
'mod cons' means 'modern conveniences' – things like a telephone, washing machine, dishwasher etc.

small ads
short advertisements which are found in local and national newspapers, or on notice boards in shops, colleges etc.

go with
choose, decide

The Gazette; The Courier
These are typical names for newspapers.

Episode 76: A new flatmate?

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:13:00 +0000

Helen:	Ok everyone, I've got an announcement. We need to get someone for Michal's room as soon as possible.
Alice/Tim:	Really?
Helen:	Yeah well, he e-mailed me the other day and he seems to be staying in Poland, at least for the time being. And my dad's starting to get twitchy about the rent. He doesn't want the room sitting empty much longer.
Tim:	Fair enough, I suppose. So, have you got anyone in mind?
Helen:	Well we could advertise for someone.
Alice:	I've got a colleague who's looking for a room!
Helen:	Have you?
Alice:	Yeah, she's got to move out of her flat by the end of the month.
Tim:	Oh no. We're having another guy, thank you very much...
Helen:	So let's get an advert in the paper, straight away

Time expressions

There are a great variety of expressions that are used to refer to time: a selection is presented here. Most of them function as adverbials or prepositional phrases.

For more information about 'adverbials', go to Grammar and Vocabulary: Learn It

For more information about prepositions of time, go to: The Flatmates: Episode 44

a short time ago:
this means something was recent.
Example:
I've already heard the news. She told me a short time ago.

the other day:
this means that something was recent, without saying exactly which day.
Example:
I went shopping the other day.

ages and ages ago:
this means something was not recent; it happened a long time ago.
Example:
I've known about it for a very long time. She told me ages and ages ago.

many moons ago :
this means something was not recent; it happened a long time ago.
Example:
Many moons ago, he told me the story of his life.

for the time being: at the moment, until something changes.
Example:
For the time being, I’m catching the bus to work, but I hope to get a bicycle soon.

these days: the current period of time. NOTE: we don’t usually say ~~'in these days'~~.
Example:
These days I’m happy at work, but there were times in the past when I was unhappy.

in this day and age:
the present era; the current period of time in history.
Example:
In this day and age it is normal for women to be senior managers, but it wasn’t always like that.

Very soon or immediately

as soon as possible:
this is often a polite way to ask someone to do something soon.
Example:
Could you please return the books to me as soon as possible?

straight away: immediately.
Example:
Let's call him straight away.

in a minute or two / in a second or two:
shortly; very soon. It is common to be a little vague when talking about time, so we use ‘or two'.
Example:
Sorry to keep you waiting. I'll be with you in a minute or two.

by the end of the month:
something will happen before this current month finishes.
Example:
The new restaurant will be open by the end of the month.

this time next year:
about one year from now.
Example:
This time next year, we'll be millionaires!

in the not too distant future:
fairly soon.
Example:
I'll be seeing my sister in the not too distant future.

Not much longer / not any more / not any longer:
these all mean that a period of time for something needs to end soon.
Example:
I can’t wait any longer, I’ll have to leave in a minute or two.

For the foreseeable future:
a period of time from now into the future, a future that is near enough to be reasonably sure what will happen.
Example:
I’m going to continue working here for the foreseeable future. I have no plans to change my career and my school is happy with my work.

For as long as anyone can remember:
this means that no-one can remember a time when this thing did not exist or happen. This expression is not always used literally: it simply means a period of time that started a long time ago.
Example:
For as long as anyone can remember, fish and chips has been the national food of Britain.

fair enough
ok, fine, no problem

twitchy
nervous, worried, uncomfortable

colleague
a person who works with you, or at the same place as you

advert
short for 'advertisement'

Episode 75: Paul's explanation

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Sun, 18 May 2008 03:00:00 +0000

Alice:	Hello?
Paul:	Alice, it's Paul. Don't hang up, Alice. Just give me two minutes of your time, that's all I ask.
Alice:	Ok Paul, but we haven't got much to talk about. You're married with two kids, end of story.
Paul:	Alice, it's over between Lucy and me. It's been over for a long time.
Alice:	Paul, I heard you talking to her on the phone. You were telling her you loved her.
Paul:	No, Alice, you've got it all wrong. I was talking to my daughter, not my wife. I used to love my wife, of course, but that ended very abruptly when I came home from work, and she calmly announced that she had fallen in love with someone else. So that was it, finished. I moved out the same day.
Alice:	Oh Paul.
Paul:	Alice, it's you I love.

Grammar Point 75
Adverbs of manner

Adverbs of manner tell us how something happens.

In this episode of The Flatmates, Paul says:
'...that ended very abruptly...'.
If we ask: how did it end? - The answer is 'abruptly'.

Paul also says:
'...she calmly announced that she had fallen in love with someone else.'
If we ask: how did she announce it? - The answer is 'calmly'.

Other examples:
He swims fast. How does he swim? – fast.
She sings beautifully. How does she sing? – beautifully.
I opened the door wide. How did I open the door? – wide.
She quickly finished her dinner. How did she finish? – quickly.

Adverbs of manner are usually placed after the main verb.
He swims fast.
She sings beautifully.

It is possible to place the adverb before the verb. This places emphasis on the adverb.
She calmly announced that she had fallen in love with someone else.
She quickly finished her dinner.

But some adverbs are always placed after the verb.
These adverbs are: well, badly, hard, fast.

~~The team well played~~. – WRONG
The team played well. – RIGHT

He performed badly.
The students tried hard. (note: hard is an irregular adverb – don't say hardly) The dogs ran fast. (note: fast is an irregular adverb – don't say fastly)

If the verb has an object, the adverb of manner is usually placed after the object, not between the verb and object.

~~I opened wide the door~~. – WRONG
I opened the door wide. – RIGHT

He ate the chocolate cake greedily. She typed the email hurriedly.

However, it is still possible to place the adverb before the verb, to emphasise the adverb.

He greedily ate the chocolate cake. She hurriedly typed the email.

Some writers put an adverb of manner at the beginning of a sentence, to catch the reader's attention and make him/her curious:

Slowly, carefully, she opened the box.

This use of adverb position makes the reader want to find out more. What is in the box? Why did she open it slowly and carefully?

When there is more than one verb in a clause, the position of the adverb is very important. If it is placed with the verb, it modifies the action described by the verb. If it is placed at the end of the clause, it describes the manner of the whole action described in the clause.

Compare:
She slowly decided to leave the party. = slowly modifies decided.
She decided to leave the party slowly. = slowly modifies leave the party.

The teacher quietly asked the children to finish their game. = quietly modifies asked.
The teacher asked the children to finish their game quietly. = quietly modifies finish (their game).

You can give more information about most adverbs of manner by using a word such as:
a bit
quite
most
fairly
really
very
extremely

These words are always placed before the adverb.

Very carefully, she carried the baby upstairs.
She carried the baby upstairs very carefully.
She very carefully carried the baby upstairs.
He finished his homework really quickly.

angrily	badly	beautifully	calmingly
carefully	cautiously	cleverly	dangerously
eagerly	excitedly	foolishly	fast
furiously	greedily	happily	hard
hurriedly	kindly	nervously	politely
quickly	quietly	secretly	silently
slowly	softly	stupidly	unhappily
well	wickedly	willingly	wisely

hang up (v)
to end a telephone call by deliberately breaking the connection

end of story
when English speakers use this informal phrase, they mean that there is no reason to continue discussing something - there's no more to be said

it's over
the relationship is finished

abruptly (adv)
suddenly, without warning

announced
said something formally, publicly or officially. Paul uses the verb 'announce' to show that his wife did not discuss their separation with him

moved out
took all his belongings and left his home to go and live somewhere else

Video lesson JenniferESL's Channel

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:38:00 +0000

Video Lesson - SEEM - English Grammar (continue)

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:21:00 +0000

Video Lesson - SEEM - English Grammar

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:02:00 +0000

Vanilla Ice -- Ice Ice Baby - Karaoke Song Track

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Tue, 06 May 2008 05:22:00 +0000

Christmas Song Last Christmas - George Michael Wham Karaoke

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Tue, 06 May 2008 04:53:00 +0000

Ricky Martin - Shake Your Bon Bon - Karaoke Song Track

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Tue, 06 May 2008 04:39:00 +0000

Madonna - Don't Cry For Me Agentina - Karaoke Song Track

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Tue, 06 May 2008 04:23:00 +0000

Peter Paul M -- Puff The Magic Dragon - Karaoke Song Track

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Tue, 06 May 2008 04:03:00 +0000

Episode 74: Alone at New Year

noreply@blogger.com (ebaka) — Tue, 06 May 2008 03:50:00 +0000

Alice:

Ah Kitty, there never was anything wrong with you, was there? I told Helen you were ok, but she wouldn't listen. She had to listen to the vet though. He said you were the healthiest cat he'd ever seen.

Anyway Kitty, Happy New Year: it's just you and me tonight. I didn't plan it this way Kitty, do you remember? I made all those resolutions last year: I was going to meet a gorgeous man. He was going to be funny, and rich too. And I did meet him, Kitty, we were going to get married and everything, ok, he hadn't asked me yet, but I had high hopes. But I didn't know he had a skeleton in his closet: a wife and two children. Oh well Kitty, that's that eh?

Ooh Kitty, who could that be? It's very late.

Grammar Point 74
The future in the past

Speakers of English use to be + 'going to' + base verb (without 'to') to talk about plans for the future.

I'm going to visit my uncle in Thailand next Spring.
I'm going to wash the dishes.
I'm going to Poland for Christmas.

Time expressions can be used if the speaker wants to say when the action will happen.

I'm going to visit my uncle in Thailand next Spring.

But it is not always necessary to use a time expression: 'going to' refers to an unspecified time in the future.
I'm going to wash the dishes.

'Going to go' can be shortened to 'going'.
I'm going to Poland for Christmas. = 'I'm going to go to Poland for Christmas.'

Sometimes we make plans for the future, but the plans don't actually happen. Speakers of English use was/were + 'going to' + base verb (without 'to') to look back at the plans we made but didn’t do.

I was going to visit my uncle in Thailand last Spring, but I couldn't afford a ticket.
I was going to wash the dishes, but there wasn't enough time.
I was going to go to Poland for Christmas, but I stayed in France.

Time expressions can be used if the speaker wants to say when the action should have happened.
I was going to visit my uncle in Thailand last Spring.

But it is not always necessary to use a time expression.
I was going to wash the dishes.
I was going to meet a gorgeous man.
He was going to be funny, and rich too.

When the subject of the sentence is I/he/she/it, use 'was'.
I was going to meet a gorgeous man. He was going to be funny, and rich too.

When the subject of the sentence is you/we/they, use 'were'.
We were going to get married.

Vocabulary:

resolutions:
promises you make to yourself about how you are going to improve your life by changing your behaviour; people often make resolutions at New Year

to have high hopes:
to feel very positive and optimistic about the future of something

he had a skeleton in his closet:
he had a secret about something bad that happened in the past

that's that:
the situation is completed and can not be changed

Let's learn English...

Mr Duncan_English lessons_4

Mr Duncan_English lessons_3

Mr Duncan_English lessons_2

Mr Duncan_English lessons_1

Mr Duncan_English class_Perface

English Mini Lesson - Memorial Day

Episode 82: A tour of the flat

Background:

Talking about similarities:

What's the word?

Stuff and thing:

Approximately

Further stuff:

Vocabulary:

Episode 81: Hello stranger!

Background:

Noun and noun:

Rhyme and alliteration:

Grammar words:

Abbreviations

Vocabulary:

Episode 80: Skating on thin ice

Idioms

Idioms with 'ice'

Vocabulary

Episode 79: Stop moping!

Idioms: Life and living

Idioms - background

How life is going:

How you are living life:

How you talk about life:

Vocabulary

Episode 78: Not much luck

Describing people 3

Character adjectives - usually positive

Character adjectives - usually negative

Vocabulary

Jenny's Video Lesson - Prepositions - Common Mistakes in English

Jenny's Video Lesson - Mother's Day

Episode 77: Writing an advert

Small ads vocabulary - accommodation

Background

People

Types of accommodation

Money

Other words and abbreviations

Vocabulary:

Episode 76: A new flatmate?

Time expressions

Background

Referring to the past

Referring to the present

Referring to the future

Duration (a length of time)

Vocabulary

Episode 75: Paul's explanation

Adverbs of manner

Adverbs of manner

Adverbs of manner – position

Adverbs of manner – verbs with objects

Adverbs of manner – beginning position

Adverbs of manner – more than one verb

Adverb modifiers – a bit, quite, most...etc

Common adverbs of manner

Vocabulary

Video lesson JenniferESL's Channel

Video Lesson - SEEM - English Grammar (continue)

Video Lesson - SEEM - English Grammar

Vanilla Ice -- Ice Ice Baby - Karaoke Song Track

Christmas Song Last Christmas - George Michael Wham Karaoke

Ricky Martin - Shake Your Bon Bon - Karaoke Song Track

Madonna - Don't Cry For Me Agentina - Karaoke Song Track

Peter Paul M -- Puff The Magic Dragon - Karaoke Song Track

Episode 74: Alone at New Year

The future in the past

Going to: future plans

Was going to: the future in the past