Saturday, November 22, 2014
More Advanced Everyday English
To
dumb down, dumbing down To make something which should
be
difficult
or intellectually demanding easy or undemanding, so that it is more
accessible to the general public, making something too easy—a
negative term
Examples:
I
don’t like to undermine teachers, but even they will admit, off
the
record, that the subjects they’re teaching our teenagers,
have
been dramatically dumbed down since we were at school.
It
is quite pathetic to see how many of the quality newspapers
are
guilty of dumbing down just to increase sales... but my
wife
thinks I’m being pompous.
The
upsurge in university applications is probably down to the
perpetual
dumbing down of entrance exams. Even my thick
brother
can get in!
unknown,
to become evident, [emerging] up and coming
Examples:
He
emerged from the corner of the room, which had been
crammed
full of tourists. He must have nearly passed out in
that
heat.
It
soon emerged that the police had tried to pre-empt another
frenzied
attack by the demonstrators.
In
the aftermath of the slump, some o f the emerging industrial
nations
had been building up their defense forces.
Disgruntled
Angry and dissatisfied because things have not turned out as
expected
Examples:
It
is clear that many members of the public are disgruntled
because
they feel the Government have been stringing them
along.
But I’m never taken in by any o f the hype politicians
come
out with.
The
shareholders are disgruntled at the fact that some of
the
directors have been raking it in this year. The directors
claim,
on the other hand, that as they have invested their own
personal
wealth in the company, they are entitled to reap the
rewards.
To grate on someone To irritate or annoy someone—usually through a
noise,
habit or type of behaviour-also note the adjective “grating”,
which generally describes an
unpleasant
sound which is difficult to tolerate
Examples:
The
dumbing down of BBC news will definitely grate on you
after
a while.They talk to us like children. So patronising!
A:
Her loud laughter is beginning to grate on me.
B:
Yes, it’s doing my head in as well.
It
was the sound of her grating voice that was my cue to get
going.
I know it wasn’t very tactful of me but I couldn’t wait to
get
home.
Blatant
Obvious, clear, indiscreet, unashamed—often used for
something negative)
Examples:
His
perpetual blatant lies have led everyone to mistrust him.
He
and his honest brother are like chalk and cheese.
Grovelling
is often said to be a blatant expression of fear.
Telling
him he was an absolute pushover was being a bit blatant.
You
could have gone about it in a more subtle way.
To
die down To become calmer/quieter— used for a
situation
Examples:
Once
the current uproar has died down, we hope the other row
over
who has the right to receive the endowment will blow over.
After
the storm had died down, we all tried cramming into
the
car. It was a bit of a fiasco.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Saturday, November 15, 2014
More Advance English
Colloquial
Colloquial - (of
language) used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or
literary
and
by extension (phrase)
and
by extension - taking
the same line of argument further
Examples:
The
study shows how television and, by extension, the media, alter
political relationships
Rangers
gives farmers unique insights into the conditions of their particular
vineyard and,
by extension,
help them to improve production.
To
take someone through something
To
take someone through something - To
describe a situation, to
explain
something to someone
Examples:
Policeman: Take
me through exactly what was going on in your mind when
you
inadvertently passed a red light. .. madam.
Commentator
to footballer: Can
you take us through your second goal? The goalkeeper looked
absolutely gobsmacked.
Skirmish - a small fight/minor battle
Examples:
The
rebels refused to back down over their demands for the
Russian
army to release some o f its prisoners. This resulted
in
countless skirmishes all over the capital.
It
was a foregone conclusion that there would be a few
skirmishes
between the parties during the run-up to the election.
To
unnerve/unnerving (To scare, to make one feel nervous,
frightening/
worrying)
Examples:
He
tried to unnerve me by building his brother up to be a
real
tough guy. But I knew all along that he was just a wimp.
I
must say, I find the upsurge in yobbish behavior in modern
society
to be rather unnerving. The Government’s recent attempts
to
improve behavior in schools are only skimming the surface.
Hype - Intensive promotion
Examples:
The
hype surrounding her latest CD was a bit over the top; it’s
really
nothing to write home about.
All
the hype going around about his new book put me off
buying
it. I’m very choosy about what I read these days.
To
string someone along - To mislead or deceive someone by making
them believe
one thinks the same way, or has the same desires—note the phrase
“to string a sentence
together”, which means to be able to express oneself clearly. It
is generally used in a negative
sense to indicate that someone isn't very intelligent)
Examples:
She
felt jaded by the whole affair and didn't cotton on to the
fact
that he was just stringing her along until the end.
Don’t
take her word for it; I reckon she’s simply stringing
you
along. You do need to get to the bottom of this.
Some
of these yobs can’t even string a sentence together.
‘Thick’
is an understatement to describe these people.
Pushover
Colloquial Someone with whom it is easy to get one’s own way—see Practical
Everyday English,
page 165, easy to convince
Examples:
She
may be down to earth, but by no stretch of the imagination
is
she a pushover. You’ll have to come up with something
much
more convincing.
He’s
sulking because he thought his mum would be a pushover
when
it came to lending him her car. He turned out to be very
mistaken.
Uproar - Angry protest or criticism
Examples:
There
was uproar from jazz fans when, despite all the hype,
Jazz
FM started to play bland, hotel lounge music.
By
and large, the public didn't create much uproar when the
electoral
system was changed. Few people these days bother
to
take any interest in anything which requires them to think.
To
undermine - To ridicule someone/something, to make someone
in a position of authority
feel worthless/weak
Examples:
Confidence
in our sporting ability in this country has been
undermined by the fact that in recent years we have become
the
laughing stock of the world.
They
didn't want to come over as if they were undermining
his
authority, although it’s quite apparent to anyone following
this
story that power has shifted away from him.
I’m
under no illusions: you've been undermining me all these
years
and a grovelling apology won’t make any difference now.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Advanced Everyday English
Selected Advanced Everyday English Words and Phrases
1) To Back Down
To back down (To withdraw an argument or demand)
Examples:
Off the record, I think the sponsors are going to back down
over how Wembley Stadium should be laid out.
over how Wembley Stadium should be laid out.
I really don’t know how to go about getting them to back
down. I’ll just have to keep going on at them and hope the
message eventually gets through.
2) To Pre-empt
To pre-empt (To take action in anticipation of an event, to prevent something happening—note the word “pre-emptive ”, which is used to describe an attack or military strike made against an enemy’s [or potential enemy’s] weapons, communications, transport, etc. before they can be used)
Examples:
A: It’s really down to you to pre-empt another fiasco at
head office.
B: Why me? Any suggestions I make are made a mockery of.
The Government should have pre-empted the unrest that
was brought about by its policy of allowing unlimited immigration
into the country.
Officially, Israel’s pre-emptive strike against Iraq’s nuclear
installations did not comply with international regulations, but,
off the record, most governments were grateful that a clear
future threat had been nipped in the bud.
3)To Huddle
To huddle, huddled To keep close together, often for warmth or because of fear, [huddled] kept close together
Examples:
As the cold nights drew in, the Jones family often found themselves
huddling around the fire.
The only stumbling block remaining was what the troops would
do with the many refugees they had found huddled together under
makeshift tents.
4) Cue
Cue (A signal for action, something said or done by an actor that tells another actor that it is his turn to speak or do something—note the expression “on cue ”, which means on time. It is used to express the idea of something happening when one thought it might.
Examples:
Writing off his wife’s car was the final straw: that was his cue
to stop driving.
When she started to disrupt the party, that was our cue to
leave. The horrible “music” was doing my head in anyway.
One actor to another:
When I stick out my leg, that’s your cue to waffle on about
your illness.
The outlook seemed quite promising until I noticed some dark
clouds overhead... and then, right on cue, it started pouring
with rain . I can’t get my head round English weather at all.
5) Cram 1
To cram
i. To study intensively for an exam, usually at the last minute
Examples:
You’ll have to put it tactfully to Mrs. Smith, but unless her
son crams for this exam, he doesn’t stand a chance of getting
through. He’s left it a bit late.
There’s always a frenzy o f activity just before exams. Our students
tend to cram, many of them doing nothing during the rest of the
year... but those ones get their comeuppance.
Cram 2
ii. To pack things or people into a small space
Examples:
Sorry to butt in, but there are more than twenty fans crammed
into the entrance hall, waiting to see you.
I felt a bit uneasy having to cram £2,000 into my top pocket. I didn't relish the idea of travelling on the underground like that.
6) To Be Under No Illusions
To be under no illusions To know and understand what is really happening instead of imagining how things could be, to be realistic
Examples:
Don’t worry, I’m under no illusions: I know that meeting
my mother will bring out the worst in him. I’m dreading it.
Let me make it clear: were acting under no illusions.We are
quite aware that, by and large, our competitors have cornered
the market.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing
involves restating someone else's ideas in your own words.
There
are several phrases that can be used to introduce paraphrasing:
So
. . . (rephrase the other person's ideas)
In
other words . . . (paraphrase)
I
understand. (You're saying that . . .)
Oh.
I see. (You want to say that . . . )
I
get it. (You mean . . .)
So,
what you mean is . . .
Let
me see if I understand you correctly. . .
What
I think you're saying is . . .
If
I'm hearing you correctly . . .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)