ACTIVITY:
Use the word or phrase in this lesson in a sentence.
Put your sentence in the comments.
John will check it for you!
Brought to you by Romain Schmitz.
What does “ephemeral” mean?
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April 22, 2010Category: Vocabulary
Phrase Archive
What does “trite” mean?
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April 21, 2010Category: Vocabulary
| a) | highly polished and smooth (surface) |
| b) | very hot and spicy (food) |
| c) | overly sentimental and emotional (art, people) |
ACTIVITY:
Use the word or phrase in this lesson in a sentence.
Put your sentence in the comments.
John will check it for you!
Brought to you by Romain Schmitz.
What does “avuncular” mean?
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April 20, 2010Category: Vocabulary
| a) | highly polished and smooth (surface) |
| b) | very hot and spicy (food) |
| c) | overly sentimental and emotional (art, people) |
ACTIVITY:
Use the word or phrase in this lesson in a sentence.
Put your sentence in the comments.
John will check it for you!
Brought to you by Romain Schmitz.
What does “lark” mean?
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April 19, 2010Category: Vocabulary
| a) | highly polished and smooth (surface) |
| b) | very hot and spicy (food) |
| c) | overly sentimental and emotional (art, people) |
ACTIVITY:
Use the word or phrase in this lesson in a sentence.
Put your sentence in the comments below.
John will check it for you!
What does “rehearsal” mean?
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April 15, 2010Category: Vocabulary
What does rehearsal mean?
| a) | a vehicle for transporting the dead |
| b) | a hearing aid |
| c) | a practice session for a performance |
ACTIVITY:
Use the word or phrase in this lesson in a sentence.
Put your sentence in the comments below.
John will check it for you!
The meaning of “I am stuffed”
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February 18, 2009Category: Intermediate, Intermediate
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!
‘Ring in’ the New Year!
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January 14, 2009Category: Intermediate, Vocabulary
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?
Business – Answering the telephone
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January 12, 2009Category: Beginner, Business English
Today, let’s look at how to introduce yourself on the telephone.
When you answer the phone in English, what should you say?
|
A) Hello, I am John speaking.
B) Hello, this is John speaking. C) G’day, John is talking. |
The correct answer is: B!
Yes! On the phone we us the phrase ”This is …. speaking”.
So how about in business calls?
The same thing! The phone rings… You can say:
“Australia Corporation, this is John speaking. How may I help you?”
PRACTICE:
IN THE COMMENTS, RECORD YOURSELF ANSWERING THE PHONE.
You can either TYPE your answer, or RECORD yourself using ‘add audio only comment’. (You need a microphone to record yourself!)
HAVE A TRY!
I didn’t mean to…
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January 5, 2009Category: Intermediate
Today, let’s look at ‘I didn’t mean to…’
The phrase “I didn’t mean to …” is usually used for something bad that you did, but didn’t want to do.
Examples:
|
If you are talking about something that happened, that is not bad, you could say:
- I wasn’t planning to watch a movie, but I saw one anyway.
OR
- I decided to watch a movie to fill in time.
OR
- I decided to watch a movie just for the fun of it.
If you are talking about people you met, but wasn’t planning to meet, you can use “bump into“.
| Example:
I bumped into Miho yesterday in Ikebukuro. |
If you visit someone in their house, without planning to, you can use “drop by“.
| Example: I was in this area, so I decided to drop by. (I was near here, so I decided to visit you) |
Question: Do you often do things for the fun of it? Or do you like to plan what you want to do carefully?
Put your answer in the comments!
I’ve had this music stuck in my head all day!
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November 9, 2008Category: Intermediate, Intermediate
Have you heard that phrase before?
I’ve got the (TV or movie title) music stuck in my head!
Today I went hiking. It was a great day. We saw some Aboriginal paintings and also some places that they used to make rock tools. As I walked along, I had the Indiana Jones music stuck in my head!
This phrase means that you can’t stop thinking about the music from that movie or TV show! My wife always gets the Star Wars music stuck in her head!
You can also use this sentence to talk about a song.
Example:
I have got the new Madonna song stuck in my head!
QUESTION:
How about you? Do you get music stuck in your head? What music is it?
Let me know in the comments!
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