2018 February (Written) Flashcards
You’re telling a friend about the pastor of your church, who you like a lot. You say this.
He’s an incredibly charismatic and personable guy.
a guy
A “guy” is a man. It’s a casual word.
You use this word instead of “man” when you’re talking to your friends or in a casual situation like at a party. The person you’re talking about can either be someone that you know, or someone who you don’t know but don’t have high respect for.
For a stranger who seems older and more respectable, “man” or even “gentleman” are more polite.
Note that you can use the plural form, “guys”, when you’re talking to a group of men or women:
│ Great job today, guys. Keep up the good work.
But “guy” (singular) always refers to a man.
(someone) is charismatic
A “charismatic” person is interesting and exciting. They’re the type of person that people want to follow.
Some other common qualities of charismatic people include:
· being successful
· being a good storyteller
· being outgoing
(someone) is personable
A “personable” person is outgoing, friendly, and easy to talk to.
We mostly use “personable” to talk about someone who’s famous or in a position of authority (like an executive in a company), but is friendly toward “ordinary people”.
incredibly (something)
“Incredibly” means “very”, but it’s a lot stronger.
Another word that’s a stronger version of “very” is “extremely”. “Incredibly” is stronger than “extremely”.
You met a group of old college friends for dinner. Your boyfriend came too, but he seemed upset because no one was talking to him. Now you’re riding home, and you’re angry that he got upset.
I’m sorry if you felt excluded or ignored, but it’s not my job to babysit you.
I’m sorry if (clause)
This is a way that people apologize for something.
│ I’m sorry if anyone is offended by my remarks.
But when you apologize this way, it doesn’t sound like you’re truly sorry. It seems like you still think that you did the right thing.
People use this expression in a lot of situations, from talking to their family members to politicians making a public apology.
(someone) feels excluded
“Feeling excluded” means feeling like a group of people isn’t including you socially.
You might feel excluded if a group of people that you work with go out for drinks after work and don’t invite you, for example. Or you might feel excluded if you go to dinner with a group of people and no one talks to you.
(someone) feels ignored
“Feeling ignored” means that you feel like no one is paying attention to you.
You might feel ignored if you make a suggestion at a meeting at work, but the meeting leader moves on to another topic instead of discussing you suggestion.
it’s not my job to (do something)
Use this expression when:
· someone is expecting you to do something
· you don’t think you should be expected to do it
For example, if your boyfriend leaves dirty dishes on the kitchen counter, you can yell at him:
│ It’s not my job to clean up after you!
babysit (an adult)
Watching someone else’s child while the parents are away is called “babysitting”.
When you use the word “babysit” to talk about an adult, though, it’s a little insulting. It means that you have to watch the adult for some reason like:
· making sure that the person doesn’t make a mistake in their job
· making sure that a socially awkward friend or partner is having fun at a party
People say things like:
│ I don’t have time to babysit you. Figure it out on your own!
You’re at a dinner party. The hostess offers you some more wine. You’ve had enough to drink, so you refuse.
No, I’m good, thanks.
Thanks
“Thanks” is a friendlier, lighter way to say “Thank you”:
A: Here’s your tea.
B: Thanks.
Use it with people you know pretty well, like family members, friends, and coworkers who you’ve spoken with in the past.
No, I’m good.
“No, I’m good.” is a casual way to say “No, thank you.” You use this phrase when someone offers you something, like food, drinks, advertising material, etc.
“I’m good” sounds friendly and casual. You can use it with friends, coworkers, waiters, and most other people.
A couple of occasions when you would not use “No, I’m good” are:
· You’re meeting your girlfriend’s parents for the first time, and you’re not sure if they like you yet.
· You’re very angry at your coworker because he blamed one of his mistakes on you to your boss. Now he’s going out to get coffee and asks if you want any.
In these cases, “No, thank you” would be better.
You and your family are making homemade ice cream with an old-fashioned ice cream maker. Someone has to turn it by hand. Your sister has been doing it for a few minutes and seems tired, so you offer to do it.
Do you wan me to take over?
Do you wan me to (do something)?
Use this phrase when you’re offering to do something that will help the listener or make them happy.
For example:
│ Do you want me to call a doctor?
│ Do you want me to leave you alone?
│ Do you want me to cook tonight?
When you use this phrase, you sound like you’re offering to do something that will make the listener happy. It doesn’t sound like you want to do if for your own enjoyment.
take over (doing something) When someone is doing a job, and you switch and start doing the job instead of them, you're "taking over". For example, you might "take over" stirring some food in a frying pan, or "take over" at the cash register at a store that you work at.
To explain who was doing the job before, you can say “take over for ___”:
│ I can take over for Jess while she takes her lunch break.
You went on vacation. Now you’re back at work. There’s a lot of work for you to do. A coworker invites you to eat lunch with him, but you can’t because you’re too busy. You refuse.
Thanks, but I can’t. I have a lot to catch up on.
Thanks
“Thanks” is a friendlier, lighter way to say “Thank you”:
A: Here’s your tea.
B: Thanks.
Use it with people you know pretty well, like family members, friends, and coworkers who you’ve spoken with in the past.
catch up on (something)
To “catch up on: something means to do something that you missed, or that you’re late on. For example, you can:
· catch up on some episodes of a TV show that you missed
· catch up on work that you couldn’t do because you were on vacation for a few days
· catch up on homework that you missed because you were sick
There’s a related phrase, “catch up with (someone)”, which means to talk to someone who you haven’t seen in a long time and share news about your lives.
have a lot of work
When there’s a lot of work that you need to do, you can say that you “have a lot of work”.
You’re going for a bicycle ride with your boyfriend. He has a helmet, but he doesn’t like having the strap on his chin. You want him to put the helmet on correctly.
What’s the point of even wearing a helmet if you’re not going to buckle it?
What’s the point of (something)
“The point” of something is the reason for doing it. But this word is often used in the negative sense: “what’s the point?”, “there’s no point”, “I don’t see the point”, etc.
You can say “What’s the point of (something)?” or “What’s the point of (doing something)?:
│ What’s the point of Facebook? I don’t get it.
│ What’s the point of studying math in school anyway? No one ever uses it in real life.
When you ask “what’s the point of ___?” it’s usually a criticism and can sound negative. So you should use it when you are angry and annoyed about something. Depending on your personality, you may not want to show people that you’re angry unless you’re close to them. A more polite way to ask “What’s the point of this meeting? would be:
│ “What’s this meeting about?”
wear a helmet
A “helmet” is something hard that you wear on your head in order to protect it. People wear helmets while riding motorcycles or bicycles and when playing certain dangerous sports like baseball or American football.
buckle (a belt or strap)
A “buckle” is the part of a belt or strap where you attach the two ends to each other. The belts people wear on their pants have buckles. So do some shoes, straps for handbags and luggage, and seatbelts.
When you attach something with a buckle, you’re “buckling” it. You “buckle” the strap or belt itself:
│ Can you buckle that strap?
And you “buckle up” or “buckle in” the thing that’s contained by the belt or strap:
│ There you go; you’re all buckled in!
You’re talking with a friend whose mother died a few months ago. She admits that it has been very hard for her. You’ve had a similar experience before, so you show your sympathy.
I know how you feel. I went through the same thing after my father passed away.
go through People use the phrase "go through \_\_\_" to describe negative experiences. "Go through" means to experience something negative or difficult. Some examples include: │ go through a divorce │ go through a tough time │ go through a period of weak sales │ go through childbirth
There are some other totally different meanings of “go through”. One is to search and examine things in a list or a collection:
│ We should sit down and go through the detail later this week.
Another meaning of “go through” is to use a person or agency to do something for you instead of doing it directly yourself:
│ Are you going through a recruitment agency?
It’s best to remember each of these meanings separately.
my father
When you’re talking about your father, you can call him “my father”. “My father” sounds a bit formal.
When you’re speaking to your father, you should use a term of address such as these:
· “Dad” is the standard way that most people call their fathers.
· “Daddy” is how young children might talk call their fathers. Most people stop calling their fathers “Daddy” in their teenage years, but some people continue to do so even as adults.
· Some groups of people use the word “Pop” to refer to their fathers. It’s not as common as “Dad”, though.
· Calling your father “Father” seems extremely formal.
A similar explanation of the words for talking about your mother can be read in this lesson:
│ Mom, the faucet’s dripping!
I know how you feel.
When someone shares their negative feelings (like sadness, frustration, anger, etc.) with you, a common response is “I know how you feel.”
For example:
│ A: I feel like they never respect me, no matter what I do.
│ B: I know how you feel. It’s really frustrating trying to get your parents to respect you as an adults.
“I know how you feel” sounds thoughtful and supportive.
(someone) passed away
Use the phrasal verb “pass away” to talk about someone dying in a polite way.
This is rude:
│ I’m so sorry to hear that your father died.
This is much more acceptable:
│ I’m so sorry to hear that your father passed away.
If you’re talking about someone with no connection to you or to your listener, you can say that they “died”:
│ Elvis Presley died in 1977.
You’re dealing with a big problem at work. You’ve shared your opinion on how to deal with the problem. One of your coworkers looks annoyed or angry, so you don’t think she agrees with your solution. You ask her about it.
I take it you disagree…
I take it (clause)
“I take it…” is a slightly formal phrase which means “It seems…”
For example, if you came home late in the evening, and there’s no dinner, you might say to your family:
│ I take it you ate already?
If you’re at a sports bar, and someone sitting next to you is watching a baseball game on the TV and cheering whenever the New York Yankees score a run, you can start a conversation by saying:
│ I take it you’re a Yankees fan.
This expression comes across as kind of cool and understated.
(someone) disagrees
We usually follow the word “disagree” with “with (someone)”:
│ She disagrees with me.
Or you can talk about the topic of the disagreement using “over” or “about”:
│ We disagree over a lot of things.
But you can also use “disagree” by itself:
│ I disagree.
│ I think we need to control government spending. Do you disagree?
A friend asks you what you would do if you won a million dollars in a lottery. You think that you would spend it all quickly on fun things like clothes, electronics, and furniture. You answer this.
I’d go out and blow it all on a huge shopping spree.
(something) is huge "Huge" means "very big". Some things that are often described as "huge" are: · a huge amount of something · a huge animal · a huge crowd · make a huge difference · (something) was a huge success
I would (do something) (in an imaginary situation) You can talk about imaginary situations with "I would..."
For example:
│ A: If you could have a conversation with any person from history, who would you want to talk to?
│ B: I would love to talk to Albert Einstein.
“Imaginary situations” are things that are not possible, or not likely to happen.
“I would ___” can be shortened to “I’d ___.”
blow (money)
“Blowing” money means spending it wastefully. People blow their money on things that are fun but necessary.
Here’s how to use it:
│ We probably blew five thousand dollars on that trip to Vegas.
This is a casual expression. It’s a little slangy, but won’t offend anyone.
A more generally accepted word is “waste”.
a shopping spree
A “shopping spree” is when someone buys a lot of stuff in a short amount of time. You might do this if you suddenly become wealthy.
You “go on” a shopping spree:
│ I wish I could go on a shopping spree and buy new cars for everyone in my family.
A friend has met a girl that he really likes, but she lives far away. He asks what you think. You’ve had relationships with people who lived far away, but they didn’t last long.
I’ve personally found that long-distance relationships are really hard to make work.
I personally (think/feel/believe/etc.)
When you’re expressing an opinion that other people might disagree with, you can introduce the opinion with “personally”. For example:
│ I personally feel that eating meat is unnecessary and cruel to animals.
│ I’ve personally never liked going out to bars and things like that.
I’ve found that (sentence)
Use this phrase to introduce a conclusion that you’ve come to based on your experience.
For example:
│ I’ve found that slicing it in half first makes it a lot easier to dice.
│ I’ve found that buying high-quality clothes to begin with saves me money in the long run because it lasts longer.
a long-distance relationship
A “long-distance relationship” is when you’re dating someone who lives far away from you. When you’re in a long-distance relationship, you don’t get to see your sweetheart very often, so it’s difficult.
make (something) work
Imagine that you have a slightly difficult situation in life. For example, imagine that you and your spouse both work long hours and also have to take care of your children. If you try hard to live with the problem, you are “making it work”.
Another example is when you’re negotiating with a client. The client asks for you to finish a job in one week. That’s too short, so you ask for more time. The client suggests 10 days. That’s still short, but you think it will be OK. So you say:
│ Yeah, OK. I think I can make that work.
You wrote a book, and sent it out to lots of different publishers. One publisher agreed to print it, but said that you had to pay $4,000 to cover publishing fees. You were excited to have your book published so you gave them the money, but now you’ve only sold a few copies of your book. You regret paying the company, so you say this to your friend.
In retrospect, I probably should have known it was a scam.
In retrospect, (sentence)
Use “in retrospect” at the beginning of your sentence to tell what you think of something after it happened. In the example above, you now think it’s obvious that the publishing company wasn’t honest, although at the time you were excited about it.
People use words like these along with “In retrospect”:
· probably (like in the example above)
│ In retrospect, I probably should have worked harder in school.
· seems
│ In retrospect, it seems like it all happened so quickly.
· realize
│ In retrospect, I realize that my parents were just trying to do what was best for me.
· wish
│ In retrospect, I wish I had kept working there for a few more years.
You can also use “in retrospect” at the end of a sentence:
│ I probably should have known it was a scam, in retrospect.
I should have known (something)
Use “I should have known ___” to talk about something that you made a mistake about, but now you think that the correct answer is obvious.
In the example above, “I should have known it was a scam” means that you now know that the company is a scam, but you’re frustrated because you should have figured that out before paying them to publish your book.
(something) is a scam
A “scam” is a trick that someone plays on you in order to take your money.
Some companies or products are “scams”. This means that they take customers’ money by lying to them or trying to trick them.
You’ve made plans to visit a friend that you haven’t seen for a while. You say this to them in anticipation.
I’m looking forward to seeing you.
look forward to (doing something)
This is a polite expression for saying that you’re excited about something that’s going to happen. But it doesn’t sound very strong. If you really want to sound excited about it, try “I can’t wait to ___”
│ “I can’t wait to see you.”
You can also add adverbs like “really” or “so”:
│ I’m so looking forward to seeing you!
Your son had a bottle of juice. He drank it all. You hold up the bottle and show him that there’s no more left.
All gone!
all gone
When there’s no more of something, you can say that it’s “gone”:
│ A: Where’s the coffee?
│ B: It’s gone.
“All gone” is the same, but it sounds a little more playful. You use this phrase when speaking with young children. For example, you can play a game with a baby where you show them a toy, then put it behind your back and say this:
│ All gone!
You’re discussing what to make for dinner. You have a frozen steak that you can make. You decide that you should cook it, but you need to warm it up first. You say this.
I guess I’ll thaw this out.
I guess
“I guess…” can be used to announce a decision that you’re not sure about, or not enthusiastic about. In the example above, you’re not very excited about cooking the frozen steak, but you don’t have anything better to cook so you say “I guess…”
As another example, imagine that you’re having dinner with your extended family. People are working on cooking, and you don’t have anything to do so you say:
│ I guess I’ll set the table.
“Setting the table” means that you put all the dishes, glasses, napkins and silverware out on the table.
Another similar use of “I guess” is to agree with someone while showing that you don’t completely want to agree. For example:
│ A: Are you OK with Chinese food tonight?
│ B: I guess so.
And “I guess” is also useful for showing someone that you’ve changed your mind about something:
│ I guess I might as well stick around and have one more drink.
thaw (something) out
The meaning of the word “thaw” is similar to “melt”. But when something melts, it means that that thing turns into a liquid:
│ The ice is melting.
Compare this with “thawing”, which also means to become unfrozen. However, when something “thaws”, it doesn’t turn into a liquid. Instead, it just becomes softer:
│ The chicken is thawing.
│ We’ll start preparing for our garden when the ground thaws in early spring.
A celebrity has died. The police are investigating the cause of death. A coworker tells you about this, and you wonder whether it was a murder.
Do they suspect foul play?
they
People often use “they” to mean the people who are responsible for something. For example:
│ They should clean up the sidewalks here.
In this example, you don’t know or care who exactly is supposed to do this; you just think that the people or department which takes care of the sidewalks should do it.
"They" can mean: · the government · the police · the people who manage a building · the people who run large companies
In other cases, when you use the word “they”, you have to explain who you’re talking about first. Imagine that someone says:
│ They came to the beach house.
If you didn’t know who the speaker was talking about, you would ask:
│ Who did?
But when “they” means “the people in charge”, you don’t need to explain who you mean.
(police) suspect (a crime)
When something bad happens like someone dying or things being stolen, the police try to figure out what happened. Sometimes it’s not clear exactly what happened. In this case, the police first guess what kind of crime it is.
For example, if a man died at home alone, there might be a few different explanations. If the police think that the man died from doing drugs, you can say this:
│ The police suspect a drug overdose.
If they think that someone killed the man, you can talk about it like this:
│ They suspect murder.
foul play
“Foul play” is a phrase that we use to talk about a crime. Most often, “foul play” means murder:
│ The official story is that he died of a heart attack, but some folks believe there was foul play involved.
But it’s also possible to use it to talk about other crimes, like robbery.
The phrase “foul play” sounds a little mysterious.
