Competition and Cooperation

Idioms: "get up on the wrong side of the bed" Getting up on the wrong side of the bed means you wake up and start the day in a bad mood for no real reason. Example: "He must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. He is in a particularly nasty mood today." Today Sameth talks out loud to everyone who talks to him. He must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. "pie in the sky" When an idea or scheme is pie in the sky, it means it is utterly impractical. Example: "His ideas are always of the pie in the sky sort." Errik told me that to learn English is not important for reading and talking. His idea is pie in the sky sort. Competition:...

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Planning

"Keep your ear to the ground"If you keep your ear to the ground, you keep informed about something, especially if there are rumours or uncertainty.Example: I will keep my ear to the ground and tell you if I hear of any vacancies in our apartment building. I always keep my ear to the ground when I hear the news about earthquake."Keep your eyes peeled"If you keep your eyes peeled you are watching carefully for someone or something. Origin: This is another way of saying keep your eyes open as in keep your eyes lids open or peeled. When you peal something you take its cover off like the eyes and their eyelids.Example: keep your eyes peeled for the...

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Theatre

Idioms:"out of sorts"To be out of sorts means you are feeling a bit upset and depressed. Example; "I am sorry I was rude to you. I am feeling a little out of sorts today."My brother was out of sorts yesterday. He yelled at me when I asked him for help. Whenever I can't understand English I feel out of sorts."gravy train"To be gravy train means you have found an easy way to make lots of money. Example: "With this job I have to do so little to get paid so much. It is a real gravy train."Jack works only five hours a day to get much paid. He rides on gravy train. Some people are lucky, they are not working hard but they get a lot of money. They are...

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abase - abnegate

*abase (v) to humiliate or disgrace Synonyms: degrade, demeanExample: The elementary school teacher abased her students by drawing attention to their physical flaws. He abased himself by drinking so much; in fact, the whole family was ashamed.*abate (v) to diminish in intensitySynonym: ebb, lapse, let up, moderate, relent, slackenExample: The storm gradually abated overnight. Luckily, the little girl's fever abated by midnight.*abdicate (v) to renounce or give up a position or rightSynonyms: cede, quit, relinquish, resign, yieldExample: Despite the opposition, the chairman would not abdicate his position. The king finally decided to abdicate his throne in consideration of the public outcry.*aberrant (adj) departing from what is normal or accepted Synonyms: abnormal, anomalous, deviant, divergent,...

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Although / though / even though / inspite of / despite

a) Study this example situation:Last year Jack and Jill spent their vacation at the beach. It rain a lot, but they enjoyed themselves. You can say:Although it rained a lot, they enjoyed themselves. (It rained a lot, but they....) or: In spite of / Despite the rain, they enjoyed themselves.b) After although we use a subject+verb:Although she smokes 20 cigarettes a day, she seems quite healthy.Although it rained a lot, we enjoyed our vacation.I didn't get the job, although I had all the necessary qualification.After in spite of (or despite) we use a noun, a pronoun (this/that/what, etc.), or -ing:In spite of the rain, we enjoyed our vacation.I...

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Prefix "In"

The prefix "in" is used with many words to indicate the negative or opposite meaning of the word. Read the definition beside each "in" prefix below, then chose the appropriate word from those listed below. We've done the first one to get you started.Active; audible; capable; complete; consistent; conspicuous; correct; credible; curable; edible; efficient; eligible; excusable; expensive; sensitive 1- in_active_ not moving; idle2- in_______ not fit to eat3- in_______ not easily heard4- in_______ not working well5- in_______ not highly priced6- in_______ not easy to forgive7- in_______ not even or regular8- in_______ not not able to be healed9- in_______ not finished10- in_______ not able to do11- in_______ not qualified to do; unfit12- in_______ not caring about others13-...

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Culture

Idiom: "knee-jerk reaction"To have a knee-jerk reaction means to have an instant or instinctive response to a situation. Example: "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. It was a knee-jerk reaction. You scared me.""cutting edge"When something is cutting edge it is at the forefront of progress in its area. Example: "His cell phone is cutting edge. It has all the latest technology."..........Culture: [n] the taste in art and manners that are favored by a social group. [n] all the knowledge and values shared by a society. Questions: 1- Discuss the following:The individual is able to think, feel, strive, and work by himself;...

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Food & Nutrition

Idioms:"Take something with a grain of salt"If you take something with a grain or a pinch of salt, you consider that thing not to be completely true or accurate. Origin: This idiom is based on the idea that food tastes better and is easier to swallow if you add a little salt. So, if you add a little salt to an idea it will be easier to accept. Example: "You should take everything that he says with a grain of salt, because everyone knows that he likes to exaggerate(1) things when he is speaking.""eat your cake and have it too"To have your cake and eat it or to eat your cake and have it too is to want more than you can handle or deserve, or to...

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Ten Steps to Teaching Perfect Writing

By Cheryl FrostWith the rapid expansion of the Internet, it is clear that the quality of English writing—both American and British—has taken a dive for the worst. “Netspeak” is obtrusively taking over most electronic communications, making good writing practices increasingly scarce. With such a strong influence the Internet has over the world today, it is no wonder so few children can write. Even the most intelligent and successful business leaders seem small and insignificant when they distribute e-mails full of spelling errors and non-capitalized sentences. Therefore, it is more vital than ever to teach our children to write well...

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Advice for Students: 10 Steps Toward Better Writing

Writing well is easily one of the most sought-after and useful skills in the business world. Ironically, it is one of the rarest and most undervalued skills among students, and few professors have the time, resources, or skills to teach writing skills effectively. What follows are a handful of tips and general principles to help you develop your writing skills, which will not only improve your grades (the most worthless indicator of academic progress) but will help develop your ability to think and explain the most difficult topics. Although directed at students, most of this advice applies equally well to any sort of writing; in the...

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