month12 Flashcards
Your girlfriend broke a bone in her hand, and got a prescription for pain killers from her doctor. She asks you to give her a pill, but you read the instructions and find out that she’s supposed to take the medicine after eating.
It says not to take it on an empty stomach
take (medicine)
In English, we use the word “take” to talk about medicine. You “take” medicine by eating or drinking it. It’s incorrect to use “eat” or “drink” to talk about medicine.
It says to (do something)
When you read some instructions and then report them to another person, use the phrase “It says to ___.” For example:
It says to add the onions and celery and simmer for five minutes.
For warnings, say “It says not to ___”:
It says not to touch the connectors.
You can also specify where the instructions came from:
The sign says not to go in there.
It might seem strange to use “says” with written instructions since the instructions don’t actually speak. But English doesn’t have a separate verb to describe information that’s written down, so we use “says”.
(do something) on an empty stomach
The phrase “on an empty stomach” means “without eating”. For example:
I can’t think on an empty stomach.
I’ve heard that exercising on an empty stomach causes your body to burn more fat.
It’s better not to take it on an empty stomach.
You’re a fan of monster movies. You and a friend are discussing what kind of imaginary monster would be the most dangerous. You explain why zombies are quite dangerous
The thing about zombies is that they’re not fast or resourceful, but they’re absolutely relentless
The thing about (something) is (clause)
Use this expression when you want to complain about something. “The thing about ___ is….” introduces an idea that you want to complain about:
The thing about the current political administration is that they’re all talk and no action.
The one thing about Lacey that annoys me to no end is that she’s never had any hands-on experience, yet she seems to think that she knows everything about it.
You can also use “The thing about ___ is ___” in other situations where you’re not complaining. You can also use it to introduce a positive or interesting point about something. For example:
The thing about my Uncle Frank is that, once you get to know him, he’s really nice and very loyal.
The thing about college is, you don’t really learn very much that you couldn’t learn on your own by reading a few books.
zombies
“Zombies” are a kind of monster that appear in movies and TV shows. They’re dead people who have come back to life. They usually chase living people in order to bite them and eat their brains. But fortunately, zombies are slow and dumb.
(someone) is resourceful
A “resourceful” person has a certain kind of intelligence. They’re able to accomplish a lot with limited resources. Here are some examples of people that you could describe as “resourceful”:
a mother who doesn’t have much money, so she sews her children’s clothes by hand
a teenager who forms her own band and sets up several live shows on her own
an employee in a company’s Marketing department who comes up with a great promotion for the company that doesn’t require much money
an action hero in a movie who fights against the bad guys using only everyday materials that he finds nearby
Companies often want to hire “resourceful” employees because they will get the job done, no matter what.
(someone) is absolutely relentless
A “relentless” person is someone who keeps trying and never gives up.
“Relentless” is not a completely positive word; you can use it to describe someone who keeps doing something annoying as well. For example:
A: He sure does talk a lot, doesn’t he?
B: Yes! Once you get him started, he is absolutely relentless!
You’ll often hear the word “absolutely” before “relentless” to describe a person who’s really, really determined.
You bought a smartphone recently. You’re unsatisfied with it because it loses battery power too quickly. Someone asks what you think of the phone, so you complain about this.
The battery life is pretty pathetic
(a electronic device’s) battery life
The “battery life” of a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop, or other device means how long you can use it before you have to recharge the battery.
“Battery life” is one of the important characteristic that customers think about when buying an electronic device, so it’s discussed in device reviews and advertisements.
(something) is pathetic
The word “pathetic” means “not good at all”.
Here are a couple of examples of situations in which you can call something “pathetic”:
You were dating a guy, but he cheated on you. Now he’s trying to get back together with you by sending messages to a lot of your friends. You don’t like him at all, so you call him “pathetic” to your friends.
You competed in a 10K race. On the day of the competition, you ran a lot slower than you normally do. You’re angry at yourself, so you say that your performance in the race was “pathetic”.
In general, calling someone else “pathetic” means that you’re disgusted by them. Calling yourself “pathetic” means that you’re disappointed in yourself.
Calling a product “pathetic” means that it’s much worse than it should be.
You’re at an ATM. You’re seeing how much money is in your bank account. This is the message on the ATM screen.
Your balance is $2,154
(someone’s) balance
The “balance” of a bank account is the amount of money that you have in the account. So your account balance is a number. For example:
Your balance is $2,154.
The action most commonly associated with a bank balance is “checking”:
When’s the last time you checked the balance?
You want to make a cheesecake. You read a recipe for it. The recipe says that you need an ingredient that you don’t use often, so you check with your wife, who usually cooks.
It calls for vanilla extract. Do we still have any?
(a recipe) calls for (an ingredient)
When you’re talking about a recipe, you can explain what ingredients are needed by saying that the recipe “calls for ___”. For example:
It calls for olive oil. Do you think corn oil will work as a substitute?
If you’re talking about cooking something without a clear recipe, don’t use this phrase. In that case, you can say that you “need ___”:
I can make some spaghetti, I guess. I need tomato sauce, though. Do we have any?
vanilla extract
“Vanilla extract” is an ingredient that’s used in some baking. It’s a liquid with a strong vanilla flavor.
In general, an “extract” is the concentrated essence of something. Some other kinds of “extract” include:
almond extract
coconut extract
herbal extracts
Do we have any (something)?
Ask the people who live with you this question to find out whether you have an ingredient or material in your home.
For example:
Do we have any toilet paper?
I need some tape. Do we have any?
You’re boarding a plane on a business trip with your coworker. You want to be polite, so you let your coworker choose the seat.
Do you want the aisle seat?Do you want (something)?
This is a casual way to offer something to someone:
Do you want some pizza?
A more formal way to make an offer is “Would you like (something)?”
the aisle seat
When seats are arranged in rows, like on an airplane, in a theater, in a sports stadium, etc., there are open spaces called “aisles” where people can walk to get to the correct row. A seat which is next to the aisle is called an “aisle seat”.
In an airplane, the seat next to the window is called the “window seat”. The seat on the outside is the “aisle seat”. If there are three seats next to each other, the one in the middle is the “middle seat”. Some people like the window seat because they can see outside of the plane. Others like the aisle seat because it’s a little easier when you sit down and stand up.
You’re talking with an old college friend. You’re remembering old times together. In college, you and your friend were poor so you lived in a cheap house in a dangerous part of town. You remind him of this.
Remember that sketchy neighborhood we used to live in?
live in (a place) You live in a country, a state, province or prefecture, a city, or a neighborhood:
I used to live in Canada.
She lives in Beverly Hills.
Sometimes you can use “live on” for explaining which side of a city you live in:
I live on the South side of Chicago.
Remember (something)?
In casual speech, you can ask someone “Remember ___?” instead of “Do you remember ___?”
You ask this question to ask whether someone remembers an experience that you had together. For example:
Remember that time when we went camping and forgot to bring a tent?
You don’t usually ask “Remember ___?” to find out whether someone remembers facts like this:
Do you remember his phone number?
a sketchy neighborhood
A “sketchy” neighborhood looks like it might be dangerous. Often a sketchy neighborhood has old buildings that need to be repaired. There might also be people there who look violent or sneaky.
If you’re sure that a neighborhood is dangerous, you usually don’t call it “sketchy”. Instead, call it “a bad neighborhood” or “a rough neighborhood”.
Other things that you can describe as “sketchy” include:
a hotel
a bar or night club
a person
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.
That’s… quite a bold fashion statement…
You’re watching a TV show, and the actor looks like he hasn’t shaved in several days. You’ve noticed that this is common, but you don’t like it. You say this to your roommate.
It seems to be trendy these days to have a bit of stubble. To me, it just looks messy.
these days
“These days” means “recently”. But “recently” is used to talk about things that have happened over the last few weeks or months. “These days” is a longer time period, usually from the last 6 months to the last 20-30 years. You use “these days” to talk about major changes in your life or in society.
I don’t watch much TV these days.
Kids these days don’t even remember what life was like before mobile phones and the Internet.
It’s getting harder and harder to earn a living as a photographer these days.
a bit of (something)
“A bit” means the same thing as “a little”. It’s just a bit more formal.
(something) seems to be (happening)
Use this phrase to talk about things that you don’t know for sure, but you think are true based on evidence that you see or hear. For example, you can talk about changes to the economy this way:
The unemployment situation seems to be getting worse.
You don’t know if this is true or not; you’re just guessing because you’ve talked to several people who have gotten laid off recently.
In the example at top, the speaker says that her neighbor “seems to be” having construction done because she hasn’t seen anyone working or spoken with the guy who lives there. She’s just guessing based on the noises she hears.
(something) is trendy
“Trendy” means “fashionable” or “in style”.
But “trendy” can be used either positively or negatively. Here’s a positive example:
That’s a nice jacket. It would look great paired with a trendy top.
When you call something “trendy” negatively, it means that something is fashionable in a very temporary way, that’s going to change soon. For example:
I can’t waste time paying attention to what’s trendy!
You can call clothes and other fashion “trendy”. You can also use “trendy” to describe things that are recently popular like restaurants, diets, specific political opinions, slang phrases, websites, neighborhoods, etc.
My brother dragged me out to this trendy nightclub that just opened up downtown.
(someone) has stubble
“Stubble” is facial hair that’s grown out just a little bit. When a man hasn’t shaved in two or three days, he has “stubble”. Once the hairs grow for a week or two, it’s no longer “stubble”; it’s a beard, mustache, goatee, etc.
To me, (sentence)
When you want to emphasize that you’re sharing your personal opinion, you can begin your sentence with “To me…” For example:
To me, it’s just not worth the money and the time.
To me, it seems like it would be better to rent for a few more years until you save up enough for a down payment.
When you introduce an opinion this way, it communicates that you believe this strongly, but that you know that other people might think differently.
To use “To me…” correctly, the sentence’s verb should be “is”, “seems”, “looks”, “sounds”, or “appears”. But actually you can often hear English speakers say “To me…” at the beginning of sentences that don’t follow this rule:
To me, Marianne should have asked you before doing that.
Young people especially use “To me…” in this way.
A new restaurant opened recently in your city. It’s gotten very positive reviews and you’ve heard several people talk about it. You went there this weekend and didn’t like it as much as you expected. You’re telling a friend what you think of the restaurant.
It was nice and all, but it didn’t quite live up to the hype.
It’s nice and all, but…
Sometimes you want to complain about something that wasn’t bad, but didn’t match your tastes or interests. To do this, use the phrase “It’s nice and all, but…”
For example, you can say this to talk about going to the opera:
It’s nice and all, but I’m not sure that I would go again. It’s just really expensive.
Or you can complain about a restaurant that was highly recommended to you:
It was nice and all, but it didn’t quite live up to the hype.
Adding “…and all” makes this expression sound a little more negative than just saying “It’s nice, but…”
You can use this expression in spoken English, but probably not in writing.
live up to (something)
“Living up to” something means meeting or matching an expectation that someone has. Here are a few things that something can “live up to”:
live up to someone’s expectations
live up to someone’s standards
live up to a positive review
live up to one’s potential
You can use it like this:
My parents set really high standards for me, and I haven’t always lived up to them.
hype
“Hype” means really strong positive reviews or positive opinions about something. But “hype” itself is a negative word. So when you call positive reviews or opinions “hype”, it means that you don’t believe them.
Some examples:
Don’t believe the hype.
There was a bunch of hype recently about this new social networking app. I can’t keep up with all that.
You run into someone at a shopping mall who lives near you. You’re with your friend, who asks how you know this person. You explain.
He’s a guy from my apartment complex.
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 people you know well. 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, you should use “man” or even “gentleman” for someone you really think highly of.
You can use the plural form, “guys”, when talking to a group of men or women:
Great job today, guys. Keep up the good work.
But “guy” always refers to a man.
an apartment complex
Sometimes a single company builds and manages a group of apartment buildings. The buildings might have some shared facilities like a pool, laundry room, or fitness room. This group of apartment buildings is called an “apartment complex”.
Other similar examples of “complexes” include:
an office complex
a warehouse complex
You’re hanging out with an old college buddy. You’ve been remembering funny stories of things that happened in college. It’s made you feel nostalgic.
Those were the days, huh?
(sentence), huh?
When someone ends a sentence with “huh?” it means that they think you’re going to agree with what they said:
What a waste, huh?
Oh, I guess we’re both going the same way, huh?
Valerie’s really on a rampage today, huh?
“Huh” is common when you’re making small talk about the weather, or when you’re gossiping about someone.
When someone says “___, huh?” you should respond “Yeah!” if you agree with what they said.
Those were the days.
People often have fond memories of the past. When you’re with old friends and talking about good memories from the past, you can express your feeling of nostalgia by saying:
Those were the days.
This means “That was a really great time in our lives.”
You’re at a party. You saw an empty plastic cup sitting on a table, so you threw it away. Now someone’s looking for the cup, so you apologize.
Oh, my bad. Didn’t realize you were saving it.
My bad.
“My bad” is a slang phrase that some people use as a light apology. It’s like “Sorry!” but more casual.
When you make a really big mistake, don’t say “My bad.” Say “I’m sorry” or “I apologize.”
“My bad” is mostly used by young men in their teens, 20s and 30s.
Didn’t (do something).
When you’re speaking casually, you can drop “I” from your sentence:
Oh, sorry. Didn’t see you there.
I didn’t realize (clause)
“I didn’t realize ___” means “I didn’t notice ___” or “I didn’t know ___”.
You use this phrase to explain why you did something in the recent past. For example, imagine that you were in the bathroom for a long time. When you finally come out, your roommate is waiting outside of the bathroom and looks angry at you. You can say:
Oh, I didn’t realize you needed to use it.
“I didn’t realize” is followed by a clause, which is like a sentence inside of another sentence. Sometimes the clause can begin with “that”:
I didn’t realize that she had gotten laid off. If I had, i wouldn’t have made those comments.
But it’s often left off in casual speech:
Hey! I didn’t realize you were in town!
(someone) was saving (something)
When someone wants to keep some food or drinks to use later, you can say that they “are saving” it.
You can also “save” cups, plates, forks, etc. to use later.
Your teenage son has brought some of his friends over to your house to play video games. You’ve met them all before but don’t remember all of their names. You say hello this way.
How are you fellas?
How are you?
“How are you?” is one way to greet people.
When someone asks “How are you?”, they might not expect a detailed response. They may just be saying “How are you?” instead of “Hello”.
fellas
“Fellas” is an alternative way to spell the word “fellows”. It’s a slang word in American English for talking about a group of boys or men.
When you call a group of guys “fellas”, it sounds like they’re a relaxed, fun group of guys. You use it like this:
Chase is out watching a game with the fellas tonight.
Hey, what’s up fellas?
The spelling of “fellas” is not officially correct, but it’s somewhat common in casual writing like in text messages and social media posts.
You have a coworker who often says rude and insulting things to people. He insulted your friend, so she’s upset. You want to make her feel better, so you explain why this coworker is always insulting people.
He’s just insecure, and he tries to drag other people down to compensate.
(someone) is insecure
An “insecure” person is not confident. An insecure person might get angry and suspicious of other people because of this lack of confidence.
drag (someone) down
“Dragging someone down” means making them unhappy, angry, frustrated, unsuccessful, or other bad things.
People who are in a bad mood or have bad personality traits themselves sometimes “drag down” others. For example:
His constant complaining is starting to drag down the entire team.
Another way to use this phrase is in the expression “drag ___ down to (your/his/her/my) level”.
You can’t let them drag you down to their level.
compensate for (a weakness) To "compensate" means to add something in order to reach a balance. For example, if you injure one of your legs, you can use the other leg more in order to "compensate for" your injured leg.
People do a lot of things to “compensate” for their weaknesses. For example, a man who is short might “compensate” by lifting weights a lot and getting big muscles. Someone who doesn’t feel confident might “compensate” by spending a lot of money on expensive clothes.
You’re eating at a restaurant with friends. You get into a discussion about how much tip to leave. One of your friends says it should be 15% of the bill, but you like to be more flexible.
I base my tips on how good the service is.
how (adjective) (something) is
When you want to talk about the level or amount of a quality, you use the phrase “how ___ something is”. For example, if it’s been raining a lot and the ground is really wet, you can say:
I can’t believe how wet it is.
Another example is when you meet someone who’s famous and seems unfriendly, but he is actually a nice guy when you meet him:
I was surprised by how down-to-earth he was.
base (something) on (something)
Your choices and opinions all come from somewhere. When you want to talk about the reasons for your ideas, you can say that you’ve “based them on” something.
For example, when a teenager decides which university to go to, she might choose “based on” the school’s reputation, the cost, which school her friends are going to, the school’s website, etc.
Here are some other examples:
I based this recipe on a dish I had at a barbecue restaurant in Texas.
I don’t see why they awarded it to this one. What did they base their decision on?
I base my opinion of a person on how they treat the people around them, not on how much money or education they have.
good service
“Service” is the experience that you have when you go to a store or restaurant and communicate with the employees or owners.
When the experience is good, you call it “good service”. Good service means that the employees were polite and friendly, answered your questions, and worked quickly.
a tip
A “tip” is “extra” money that you pay a waiter, hairdresser, taxi driver, etc. for doing their job well.
In the U.S., there are many services that you’re expected to tip for. You’re not forced to pay tips, but it’s very rude not to.
A friend asks you what you would do if you won a million dollars in a lottery. You’re a practical person, and you know that the government takes a lot of money from prize money for taxes. This is your first answer.
You know, honestly, it probably wouldn’t even be that much money after taxes.
Honestly, (sentence)
When you start a sentence with “Honestly…” it sounds like you’re telling your listeners a secret that you wouldn’t tell other people. For example:
Honestly, I don’t think I ever want to have kids:
Honestly, I don’t regret quitting at all.
People usually use “Honestly…” to share things that some other people would disagree with. It can help you and your listeners to feel closer to each other.’
Another way to use “Honestly…” is to introduce an idea that you just thought of that has surprised you a little:
Honestly, I don’t think I even need this jacket today.
(something) probably (does something)
The word “probably” expresses a more than 50% chance that something is true or is going to happen. You use it in front of a verb:
I probably won’t wake up until noon tomorrow.
This is probably the best beef stew I’ve ever had.
You know,
“You know” is a phrase that you can use to introduce an idea that you have. You say “You know” to let people know that you’re going to say something new and interesting that they probably don’t know about yet:
You know, this would actually be a great place to have our wedding reception.
You know, I’d love to, but I can’t.
In the example above, “you know” would be pronounced quickly and without stress.
not that much
“Not that much ___” means “not very much” or “not as much as expected”. For example:
Do you want the rest? There’s not that much left.
A: How much is it?
B: It’s not that much. Just 25 bucks.
Use “not that much” in spoken English.
(an amount of money) after taxes
When you make money, the government takes some of it for taxes. People sometimes talk about how much money they make “before taxes” and “after taxes”, meaning the amount of money that’s left after taxes have been taken out.
You know what would be (adjective)?
When you’ve thought of an interesting idea, you can introduce your idea with the expression “You know what would be ___?”
You know what would be fun? What if we all got together this winter and went skiing?
You know what would be horrible? Imagine what would happen if we lost the original files.
You know what would actually be the best way to get there is if you took 540 and got off on the Highway 50 exit.
You say “You know what would be ___?” when you think that your idea is interesting, and you want other people to become interested in the idea with you.
take (some time) off work
“Taking some time off work” can mean either:
taking a vacation for a week or more
not having a job for a few months
You can specify how long your vacation or unemployed period is like this:
I’ve decided to take a few months off work.
travel the world
To talk about traveling to a lot of different countries in different parts of the world, you can use the phrases “travel around the world” or just “travel the world”.
“Travel the world” sounds a little more adventurous. Here’s an example:
When I was a child, I dreamt of becoming a famous singer and traveling the world.
You know what would be great is if I could take a few months off work and travel the world
A friend asks you what you would do if you won a million dollars in a lottery. The first thing you think about is supporting your children, so you say this.
I would… I guess I would set up a trust fund for my kids… and stick the rest in savings
I guess (clause) You can use "I guess..." at the start of your answer to a question for a few reasons:
to show that you’re not sure of your answer
to show that you just thought of the answer after you were asked the question
to show that you’re thinking carefully about your answer, and not just repeating an answer that you’ve given before
So it’s a good idea to start your answer with “I guess” when someone asks you a personal question about why you made a certain decision. There are also other reasons for using “I guess”.
set up a trust fund
A “trust fund” is a kind of financial account that you can create. It keeps money safe for someone and pays money out to them according to certain rules. A lot of wealthy parents create trust funds for their children, so that the children will have money but won’t be able to spend it all immediately.
To describe someone creating a trust fund, use the phrasal verb “set up”:
My folks set up a trust fund for me back in the 1980’s.
You can also use “set up” for:
starting a company
organizing a meeting
making an appointment
my kids
You can call your children “my kids”. It’s more common to call them your “kids” in spoken English rather than your “children”, which is more formal.
stick (money) in (an account or investment)
If you put money into an account without thinking very much about it, you can say that you “stuck” your money into that account.
You can also “stick” money into investments like stocks or bonds.
While saying that you’ve “stuck” your money into an account suggests that you did it without much planning, this phrase is not too negative. Sometimes it’s OK just to “stick” your money in a bank account or a fund.
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.
You were supposed to go on a canoeing trip with a group of people in your club at school. But you just broke up with your boyfriend, so you’re depressed and don’t want to go anymore. You write to the organizer to explain that you’re canceling.
I’m sorry; something’s come up, and I won’t be able to make it.
make it to (somewhere)
The phrase “make it to ___” means to come to somewhere. You use this to talk about attending events or meeting people. There are a few situations that you can use “make it” in:
When you’re telling someone that you won’t come to an event, party or meeting:
I’m really sorry, but I won’t be able to make it to New York next month.
When someone comes to an event that you didn’t expect them to come to, you show that you’re surprised and happy:
“Oh, you made it!”
When you ask someone if they’re going to come to a meeting, party, or event:
“We’re going to have some people over for dinner on Saturday. We’d love it if you could make it.”
Something has come up.
This is a common phrase that English speakers use when breaking an appointment, a date, etc. For example:
I’m so sorry, but something has come up. Can we reschedule for next week instead?
“Something has come up” means that something very important has happened which you need to deal with instead of keeping your original appointment. You say this when you don’t want to explain exactly what the situation is.
I won’t be able to make it.
This is a polite expression which means “I can’t come” or “I’m not going to go” to an event, date, party, meeting, appointment, etc. It’s very common.
You’re shopping for clothes with your sister and her boyfriend. He was walking around the store and has just found you again. He asks where your sister is, so this is your answer.
She’s trying on a pair of pantsPhraseMix Examples January 6, 2013
“She’s trying on a pair of pants.”
You’re shopping for clothes with your sister and her boyfriend. He was walking around the store and has just found you again. He asks where your sister is, so this is your answer.
She’s trying on a pair of pants.
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try on (a piece of clothing)
To “try on” clothes means to put them on in order to see how they look on you. You “try on” clothes when you are shopping. You can also “try on” your clothes at home when you want to decide what to wear.
You say “try on ___” with a noun or noun phrase:
She’s trying on a pair of pants.
When you replace the noun with “this”, “these”, “it”, “them”, and so on, you say “try ___ on”:
Did you try them on?
a pair of pants
Even though pants are one single item of clothing, they have two leg parts. Because of this, we always say “pants” with an “-s” at the end, and if you want to count them, you call them “a pair”:
Why do you have so many pairs of pants?
You also call these clothing items “a pair”:
a pair of glasses
a pair of gloves
a pair of shorts
a pair of shoes
a pair of socks
You’re talking with a friend about a band that he really likes. You tell him that you don’t like them as much. He can’t believe it and tries to convince you that they are great musicians. You explain why you don’t like their music.
I’m not saying that they’re not skilled musicians… their stuff just isn’t for me
I’m not saying (clause)
Use this phrase to correct something that you think people might misunderstand:
Don’t get me wrong — I’m not saying that I disagree with you at all.
This is useful when you think that the listeners might get angry or offended by something that you said.
You often follow “I’m not saying ___” with another sentence that begins with “I’m just saying ___”:
I’m not saying that you’re wrong. I’m just saying that you probably should have phrased it more politely.
a skilled musician
A musician who is good at what they do - singing or playing their instrument - can be called “skiiled”:
She was always a skilled pianist.
Who else can you describe as “skilled”?
skilled workers
a skilled professional
skilled craftsmen
a skilled athlete
(something) isn’t for me
Use this phrase to talk about something that you don’t like:
I’ve tried sushi, but… it just isn’t for me.
“It isn’t for me” is polite but clearly expresses that you don’t like the thing that you’re talking about.
When the thing you’re talking about is plural, say “they’re not for me”:
A: Why don’t you get a pair of sunglasses?
B: Sunglasses? Nah, they’re not for me.
(a musician’s) stuff
You can call a musician or band’s music their “stuff”. For example:
I heard some of their stuff on the way over here.
This expression started as slang but has been around for a long time now. It sounds casual and cool.
(Print this lesson)
Your brother-in-law is getting married today. Now you’re driving him to the wedding hall. You want to talk with him about how he feels about getting married today. You say this.
Today is a pretty big day for you, huh?
pretty (adjective)
You use “pretty” before an adjective to show how much of that quality something has. It basically means “a little more than you expected”. For example:
This soup is actually pretty good.
I think I have a pretty good shot at getting the job.
That song is pretty catchy.
(sentence), huh?
When someone ends a sentence with “huh?” it means that they think you’re going to agree with what they said:
What a waste, huh?
Oh, I guess we’re both going the same way, huh?
Valerie’s really on a rampage today, huh?
“Huh” is common when you’re making small talk about the weather, or when you’re gossiping about someone.
When someone says “___, huh?” you should respond “Yeah!” if you agree with what they said.
(today/tomorrow/etc.) is a big day
You can say this when something important is going to happen on a certain day, like:
starting a new job
graduating from high school or university
getting married
You can use this phrase to talk about today, tomorrow, or another day:
Tomorrow’s a big day.
Saturday is a big day.
And you can explain who the important event is happening for like this:
It’s a big day for you.
A patient at the doctor’s office you work at filled out an information form. His handwriting is messy, and there’s a word that you can’t read. After trying to figure it out yourself, you turn to a coworker and ask for her help.
I can’t tell what that word’s supposed to be. Any ideas?
I can’t tell (clause)
In this case, “tell” doesn’t mean “say”. It means “decide” or “figure out”. The phrase “I can’t tell ___” is used to talk about something you’re not sure about:
I can’t tell whether it’s finished or not. I can’t tell whether she’s being shy or just doesn’t want to talk to me.
You can use “can’t tell” with any question word like “how”, “what”, “who”, and so on:
I couldn’t tell what they were saying.
For the life of me, I can not tell how he did it.
what (something) is supposed to be
One of the ways to use the phrase “supposed to ___” is to talk about what a person intended, or what they were trying to communicate.
For example, if you see a number written down, but it’s not clear, you can ask:
Is this supposed to be an 8?
Or if your friend says something that might be critical of you, you can angrily ask:
What’s that supposed to mean?
This means something like “Why did you say that?”
Any ideas?
This sentence is a shortened version of “Do you have any ideas?” Ask this when you want someone to help you think of something like:
a solution for a problem
the answer to a confusing question
suggestions for fun things to do
There’s been a hurricane. It caused the electrical power system to go down in a lot of homes in your region. A representative from the electrical company is giving a press conference to talk about how they are going to fix it. He says this to reassure everyone.
We are working day and night to restore power to all the areas that have experienced outages.
(someone) is working day and night
When people are working really hard on something, you can say that they’re working “day and night”. People usually describe work this way when someone is working to fix a big problem or meet an important deadline.
(someone) is working to (do something)
Use this formal phrase to talk about someone who is trying to fix a problem. For example:
Our engineers are working to find the cause of the problem.
I.T. is working to get our email servers back up and running as soon as possible.
restore (electricity/heat/water) to (people/homes/etc)
“Restoring” something means returning it to working condition.
When a utility such as water, heat, electricity, or Internet breaks, technicians have to “restore” it. Here are some examples of how to use this expression in a sentence:
How long did it take them to restore heat?
I hope that they restore service soon!
(electrical) power
You can call electricity that’s used in a building “power”. For example:
Hey! The power went out!
(an area) is experiencing outages
When electricity, Internet service, or other utility stops working in an area, you say that the area is “experiencing outages”.
This is a formal phrase that you’re likely to hear in a news report or read in a formal announcement from a company. For example:
Areas of Northern New Jersey are still experiencing power outages.
Customers who live south of Front Street may experience outages later this evening.
friend asks you what you would do if you won a million dollars in a lottery. You have had to borrow a lot of money, so this is your answer.
Probably just pay off my credit cards and student loans.
just (do something)
You use this phrase when the action you’re describing seems easy, simple, fast, unimportant, or unexciting:
I just googled “new york florist” and that was the first shop that came up, so I called them.
A: What did you do this weekend?
B: I just sat at home and watched T.V.
(something) probably (does something)
The word “probably” expresses a more than 50% chance that something is true or is going to happen. You use it in front of a verb:
I probably won’t wake up until noon tomorrow.
This is probably the best beef stew I’ve ever had.
pay off (a bill) When you "pay something off", it means that you completely pay for it. This is mostly used to talk about bill and loan payments. When you "pay off" a loan, it means that you have completely paid all of the money you borrowed, plus the loan's interest.
To “pay off” a credit card means to pay off all of the money that you spent on that credit card for the month.
Credit cards in the U.S. have a minimum payment that you have to pay each month. However, if you only pay the minimum, you will be charged interest for whatever amount hasn’t been paid. If you “pay off” your credit card each month by the deadline, you won’t be charged for interest.
student loans
When people study at a college or university, they sometimes need to borrow money to pay for their tuition. Banks offer special loans for students which the students can pay off after they’ve graduated from school. These loans are called “student loans”.
A friend asks you what you would do if you won a million dollars in a lottery. You’d like to use it to help other people, although you’re not sure how you would spend it if that really happened to you.
I’d like to think that I would donate most of it to a worthy cause
donate (something)
To “donate” something means to give it to a person or group that needs help. People donate things to individuals whose houses have burned down, to churches, to homeless shelters, and to thrift stores like in the example above. Things that people can donate include:
donate money donate blood donate used clothes donate food
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 ___.”
I’d like to think (clause)
Use this phrase when you’re imagining or guessing something, and you want to say what you hope is true.
For example, if you’re learning to play guitar, you can say this:
I’d like to think that I’m improving.
This means that you’re not completely sure that you’re improving, but you hope that you are.
You can also say “I like to think…” to talk about things that you often hope.
a worthy cause
A “worhy cause” is a project or charity that helps people in need or improves society.
Some specific “worthy causes” include:
a school fundraiser
a soup kitchen for homeless people
a foundation which funds research to look for cures to cancer
You can hear this phrase in these contexts:
donate (something) to a worthy cause
(something) is going to a worthy cause
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 not 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.
