Sunday, December 20, 2015
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Saturday, December 5, 2015
"TH" Sound Practice
Spring Baby
1. This woman has a new baby.
2. Her name is Ruth.
3. The baby’s name is Theo.
4. Ruth buys many things for Theo.
5. When she is at the drugstore, she buys this and that.
6. When she is at the mall, she buys this and that.
7. Theo’s date of birth is May 6, 2009.
8. Ruth wanted Theo’s birthday to happen in Spring.
9. Ruth’s favorite month is May.
10. Theo is her first baby.
The Office
1. This is a downtown office.
2. It is Thursday.
3. There are many people at the office.
4. There is a long line of people.
5. It is a doctor’s office.
6. This doctor is expensive.
7. In the months of January and February, he is cheap.
8. He helps poor people in the winter months.
9. There is a stethoscope around his neck.
10. There is a pen in his shirt pocket.
The Dentist
1. This woman has very bad teeth. She brushes her teeth a lot, but she likes chocolate and sugary drinks.
2. She is always seeing the dentist. This is because the dentist always finds cavities during her checkups.
3. Over the years, she also had several root canals. She did not put caps on the teeth because she could not afford them.
4. The dental insurance plans usually cover $1,500, if that much. $1,500 is the total needed for both a root canal and a cap for one tooth.
5. She even had one tooth removed because it was so rotten. They gave her a lot of painkillers and yanked the tooth from her mouth.
6. She does not like all these tooth problems. Anyway, she is thankful that she lives in an age of painkillers and clean offices!
Taking the Bus
1. This family takes the bus every day. They take the bus to their English class.
2. These are the adults in the family. They are between thirty and fifty years old.
3. Every day they take bus number three. They get on the bus and think.
4. They look at all the other people. People are wearing everything from thick jackets to thin hats.
5. It is autumn and the weather is changing. It is difficult to choose a jacket that is not too thick and not too thin.
6. Many people wear several shirts in the morning. Then they take off one or two shirts when the sun is high in the sky.
Gardening
1. People have many theories about gardening. For some people, gardening means getting rid of thorns, thistles and weeds. It means having a clean, easy yard.
2. Other people love the roses with their thorny branches. The rose bushes have to be cut back every year. Cutting back means getting to know the rose thorns.
3. Some people enjoy a wild garden. They like tall flowers in many colors and they think tall grass is beautiful. They don’t mind thistles, as long as the thistles are not on the garden paths.
4. There are also different theories about the seasons, especially summer. Some people like to let the grass turn brown during summer months. They think it looks natural and saves water.
5. Others want green grass all summer and water the lawn all the time. This means they have to mow the grass and trim the bushes throughout the summer.
6. Some people garden thoroughly and notice every weed, while other people garden once or twice a month. All homeowners have to choose the gardening theory that works for them.
More Idioms
GET A HANDLE ON (SOMETHING)
to find a way to deal with a problem or difficult situation
1. I’m trying to get a handle on my job search, so I’m updating my resume and asking my old teachers for letters of recommendation.
2. Margaret’s babysitting job was difficult at first, but she got a handle on the children after she promised to read them a story.
GET (A) HOLD OF (ONESELF)
to get control of oneself; stop being emotional
1. Stop crying, Mary. Get a hold of yourself and calm down.
2. The man narrowly missed hitting another car on the highway. Afterward, he pulled off the road to try to get hold of himself.
Compare to: get it/(one’s) act together; go to pieces
The expression get (a) hold of oneself emphasizes emotional control whereas get one’s act together emphasizes mental or physical control.
GET (A) HOLD OF (SOMEONE)
to contact someone or communicate with someone, usually by telephone
1. The real estate agent couldn’t get hold of them before the house was sold to someone else. They never answered their phone.
2. The ambulance brought the little boy to the hospital, and the doctor got a hold of the boy’s parents before he operated.
GET (A) HOLD OF (SOMETHING)
to acquire or obtain something
1. I was able to get hold of a copy of the magazine, but it was the last one.
2. Sarah was very lucky to get a hold of an extra ticket to the ballgame.
The expression is used to describe something that is somewhat difficult to acquire, perhaps because it is rare.
GET A LEG UP
to make a good start on some activity or project
1. It took a long time, but you’ve finally got a leg up on your college degree. It shouldn’t take you much longer to finish.
2. I’m going to get a leg up on next year’s budget by planning several months in advance.
This expression originally meant “to be lifted onto a horse,” and can indicate getting ahead of other people.
GET A MOVE ON
to hurry
1. Get a move on! Everyone is waiting for you.
2. We asked the waiter to bring our check twenty minutes ago. I sure wish that he would get a move on!
Synonyms: shake a leg!; step on it!
This expression can be used as a verb or as a command to another person.
GET A WORD IN EDGEWISE
to insert a word or sentence into an otherwise one-sided conversation
1. Elizabeth talked on and on. No one else got a chance to tell her what he or she thought because they couldn’t get a word in edgewise.
2. Jerry finally got a word in edgewise when Tony stopped talking to take a drink.
The word edgewise means to turn something to its narrowest dimension. The expression suggests that one must put one’s words edgewise in order to squeeze them into a conversation where words are run together very tightly. The expression is usually used in the negative, can’t get a word in edgewise, meaning that one is unable to get into the conversation because someone else is doing all the talking.
GET BY
to just barely manage, financially (sentence 1) or with one’s work or responsibilities (sentence 2)
1. We’re getting by now, but if we get an unexpected bill it would bankrupt us.
2. I’m getting by the best way I know how: by working hard.
Synonyms: keep one’s head above water; make ends meet
GET CAUGHT/BE LEFT HOLDING THE BAG [LEAVE (SOMEONE) HOLDING THE BAG]
to make someone the scapegoat; to be blamed for something that was not one’s fault or was only partly one’s fault
1. The other team members left, Bill was left holding the bag, trying to explain a bad project.
2. Christine helped Tim invent a scheme to cheat people out of their money and it went wrong. She left town and Tim got caught holding the bag.
Compare to: leave (someone) in the lurch
Leave someone in the lurch is usually applied more generally to any number of situations involving responsibility whereas leave someone holding the bag is usually applied to a situation involving theft in which one person is literally left holding (or caught with) the stolen goods.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Today's Idioms
CALL (SOMEONE) ON THE CARPET
to confront or hold someone responsible for some misdeed
1. The student tried to make the teacher think that his report was original, but the teacher knew it wasn’t, and called him on the carpet.
2. I got called on the carpet for being late again.
Synonyms: rake (someone) over the coals; chew (someone) out; read (someone) the riot act
This phrase originates from the military, where it used to be that only senior officers had carpet in their offices. To be called on the carpet meant that a lower-ranking soldier was brought into the senior’s office to be formally reprimanded for an offense.
CALL (SOMEONE’S) BLUFF
to challenge someone to carry out a threat or prove the truth of a statement
1. I told my parents that I had gotten passing grades in all my classes, but they didn’t believe me. They called my bluff and asked to see my report card.
2. The bank robber threatened to shoot the bank guard, but the guard called the robber’s bluff by walking up to him and taking away his gun.
This idiom is based on the literal meaning of this phrase as used in card games such as poker. A player who is bluffing may pretend to have a winning hand when in fact he or she does not. To call one’s bluff in poker is to challenge one to show his or her cards.
CALL A SPADE A SPADE
to speak plainly or call something by its right name, even if it is unpleasant
1. Some people say Ben is generous with his money, but I call a spade a spade. He’s not generous, he’s foolish.
2. It’s polite of you to refer to them as “lively” children, but let’s call a spade a spade. They are actually very naughty.
Antonym: beat about/around the bush
The expression is usually used when something is described more favorably than it deserves. Call a spade a spade is a request for a more realistic description. The phrase dates back to ancient Greece, where the words for “spade,” “boat,” and “bowl” were very similar; the original translation my have been ‘call a boat a boat
CALL THE SHOTS
to be in control or to give orders
1. In this classroom, the teacher is in control. The teacher calls the shots, not the students.
2. The lawyer tried to take control of the courtroom, but the judge reminded him that it is the judge who calls the shots.
This idiom stems from use in sports that involve aiming. For example, in darts, the thrower might call out the exact spot he/she expects to hit on the target. Calling the shots well shows the player to be in control of the outcome.
CAN OF WORMS, OPEN A
a situation that contains many unexpected and unwanted problems and consequences
1. The company’s management thought their new policy would increase employee productivity, but instead it opened a whole new can of worms.
2. His situation is completely messed up; it’s a can of worms that I’m happy not to have to deal with.
Synonym: Pandora’s box, open a
CARRY A TORCH (FOR SOMEONE)
to be in love with someone, usually someone who does not love in return
1. Why don’t you find a new boyfriend? Don’t spend your life carrying a torch for someone who doesn’t love you anymore.
2. Sara will never remarry. She will always carry a torch for Henry.
The expression suggests that love is a flame in the heart.
CARRY THE BALL
to take on work or responsibility in order to keep a project moving forward
1. We need more people to help get this work done on time. Are you going to sit there and do nothing or are you going to help carry the ball?
2. The people in the office were sorry to see Amira leave the company. She was such a dependable worker and you could always count on her to carry the ball.
CHEW (SOMEONE) OUT [GET CHEWED OUT]
to scold someone harshly
1. When Peggy came home three hours late, her parents were very angry. They chewed her out and told her she was restricted for two weeks.
2. The newspaper boy got chewed out by Mrs. James when he ran through her flower garden.
Compare to: read (someone) the riot act; rake (someone) over the coals; call (someone) on the carpet; give (someone) a piece of (one’s) mind
CHEW (SOMETHING) OVER
to think slowly and carefully about something
1. I know the idea doesn’t seem appealing at first, but why don’t you chew it over for a few days before you decide?
2. Janice is not sure she is going on vacation in August. She’s chewing it over.
The idiom probably originates from another expression, chew the cud, referring to the fact that a cow chews slowly and regurgitates its food to chew it a second time.
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