Learn English and Make New Friends!
This video starts out looking very cool. The man is using technology to build something.
At the end of the video, we see why he is building it. It may make you cry!
Activity:
Watch the video and answer the question:
WHY IS THE MAN BUILDING HIS OWN WORLD?
Record or type your answer in the comments!
Q: What does ‘I got it‘ mean?
A: ‘I got it‘ usually means ‘I understand‘. In this case ‘get‘ means ‘understand‘
You can also say:
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| Example 1: A: I don’t understand why people in Australia say G’day. B: G’day means ‘hello’. It is short for ‘good day’.
A: Oh! I get it! Thanks! Example 2: A: What should I do today? B: Well, in the morning you need to go to the bank and in the afternoon you have a meeting at 2pm. A: The bank and a meeting. Got it. Example 3: B: You need a hat, sunscreen and a towel. A: Gotcha! |
Note that ‘I got it’ is different to ‘I have got it‘, which means ‘I have it‘.
Question: Do you get it?
Put your answer in the comments!
Recently, I visited a friend of mine. This friend is not a native English speaker.
It was my first time to visit their house and when I arrived, they were busy in the kitchen. They asked me to wait for a moment. That was fine.
I asked them, “Do you mind if I sit down?”
They answered, “Yes.”
This confused me, because their answer means “Yes, I do mind!”, which means “You cannot sit down!”
Actually, they wanted to say that it was okay for me to sit down. So what happened? Why did they make this mistake?
Actually, questions using ‘do you mind …?‘ often confuse English students:
Let’s take a look:
do you mind = do you think it is a problem
“Do you mind if I sit down?” = “Do you think it is a problem if I sit down?”
“Yes, I mind (if you sit down)” = “Yes, it is a problem if you sit down.”
“No, I don’t mind (if you sit down)” = “No, it is not a problem if you sit down.”
Example:
So if someone asks:
Do you mind if I turn on the TV?
You should answer:
Yes, I do (this means DON’T turn on the TV)
No, I don’t (this means GO AHEAD and turn on the TV)
I explained this to my friend and he then said he didn’t mind if I sat down! I was happy!
ACTIVITY:
How would you answer the following:
1) You are staying with a family in Australia. You want to go out with some friends tonight.
You ask them: “Do you mind if I come home late tonight?”
They answer: “Yes.”
What does their answer mean? Is it okay for you to go out or not?
2) You live with a room mate.
Your room mate asks: “Do you mind if I smoke?”
But, you HATE smoking. What would you say? “Yes” or “No”
3) Your friend asks you: “Do you mind if I borrow $100?”
What would you answer? Explain why you agree or do not agree to lend them the money.
Today, let’s talk about how to make friends with native English speakers! Recently, I interviewed a good friend of mine. I asked him how he made friends when he first moved to Australia. Watch the video below and see what he said!
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Watch the video below. |
Some places to meet friends:
Remember: Go somewhere safe to make friends. Joining a sports club or a social group, such as a church or youth group is a great way to start!
Put your answer in the comments!
Recently I wrote an article asking if you know what the phrase “I am stuffed” means.
You can read that article here: http://www.askjohnenglish.com/vocabulary-all/i-am-stuffed
THE ANSWER:
I am stuffed = I am very, very tired
DID YOU KNOW…
I am stuffed also can mean “I am in big trouble”!
HOW CAN I UNDERSTAND THE MEANING IN CONVERSATION?
From the context.
Context means the topic you are talking about.
Example:
In my article I talked about working very hard. So from my topic you can see that I mean “tired”
CHALLENGE
Look at the sentences below.
Tell me which sentences mean “I am in trouble” and which mean “I am very tired”.
1) I went to a party last night and now I am stuffed.
2) I didn’t study for the test at all. I think I am stuffed!
3) I was so busy today, I didn’t have time for lunch. I am so stuffed, I am just going to go to bed. Goodnight!
4) Why did you lie to your girlfriend? I think you are stuffed!
Put your answer in the comments!
EXTRA CHALLENGE
Do you know one more meaning for the phrase “I am stuffed”? Hint – after dinner!
Sorry I haven’t been writing this week. I am stuffed!
Do you know what ‘I am stuffed’ means?
Let me give you a hint:
Last week I moved house. On Monday, I rented a truck. My friend helped me put all my things in the truck. We then moved to the new place and took everything out of the truck. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I cleaned the old place every morning and night before and after work! Then all weekend I was painting the new place!
Now, I am stuffed!
QUESTION: Do you know what ‘I am stuffed’ means?
Put your answer in the comments!
Hint: There are a few different meanings. What do I mean in my story?
Today, one of my friends asks:
My friend wrote me an email saying: “It was fun to ring in the new year.” What does it mean the word “ring” in this sentence mean?
MY ANSWER:
Good question! Let’s look at the phrase ‘ring in’.
To understand this phrase, let’s look at some history of celebrations.
In many countries, most local churches used to have a bell in a tower. These days many new churches do not have bell towers, but older churches almost always do.
The bell was used like a clock for the local community. For example, the bell would be rung to remind people that it was time to go to church!
The bell was also rung on special occasions and events. One of those events was the start of the new year – midnight on January 1st.
So many people would know it was the new year, because they would hear the church bell ringing.
So today, we still say ‘ring in’ the New Year!
EXAMPLES:
Let’s ring in the New Year together. = Let’s celebrate New Years eve together.
I had a great time ringing in the New Year. = I had a great time celebrating New Years eve.
QUESTION:
How did you ring in 2009?
Do you believe in UFOs? UFO stands for: Unidentified Flying Object.
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Watch the video below. |
This video was filmed in Haiti. The video might be real, or it could be a hoax. The word hoax means ‘not real‘, or ‘fake‘.
Example:
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Question: Do you believe in UFOs?
Language tip: “I believe in….” “I don’t believe in…”
Put your answer in the comments!
Make sure you read these great 5 tips from one of the Ask john English site members:
http://www.askjohnenglish.com/learn/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=189
I agree with all of them!
After you have read it, add some of your own tips!
What do you think is important when learning English?
Many students ask me about how to be fluent in English. They want to be able to use English fluently.
This is a good question, but I think many students do not really understand what ‘fluent’ means. They know what the word ‘fluent’ means, but they do not know how to measure fluency.
How do you know if someone is fluent in English?
It depends on what you want to do with English.
The first thing YOU need to decide is, how will you know when YOU are fluent?
Do you:
When you have decided clearly your goal, then it is easier to reach it.
Recently I answered a friend’s question on this.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ADVICE I GAVE HIM.
CHALLENGE: Share your advice and opinions. How do you know when you are fluent?
