month16 Flashcards
You bought a backpack from an online store. Right after you got it, part of the backpack broke. Now you’re writing a review of it on the store website and you explain your problem.
As I started to pull on the top strap, the cheap plastic buckle snapped into 3 pieces.
As (something happens), (something else happens)
Use this kind of grammatical structure to describe two things that happen at the same time. It’s most commonly used for two continuing processes that happen together:
As you get older, you learn what your own strengths and limitations are.
“As ___, ___” is good for describing how things work. Here’s a technical description of how water boils:
As the temperature of the water rises, some of the water molecules begin to go into a gaseous state.
You can also give formal instructions using “As ____, ____”:
As you leave the auditorium, please pick up one of the yellow brochures from the table by the exit.
As you begin your job search, keep in mind that there are a lot of opportunities out there; you don’t have to take the first job that you’re offered.
a strap
A “strap” is a long, flat, narrow piece of material which you use to hold things together. Some examples of things that have straps include:
a guitar
a backpack
a heavy camera
a watch
a cheap (something)
The word “cheap” means “inexpensive” but it also means “low in quality”. It especially has this meaning when you talk about the material that something is made of:
cheap leather
cheap plastic
cheap materials
(something) snapped
When something bends or stretches a little bit but then suddenly breaks, you can say that it “snapped”. For example, a small piece of wood snaps when you bend it. A piece of rope might also snap if you pull it too hard.
(something) breaks into pieces
When something breaks apart, you can say that it “breaks into pieces”. You can also say how many pieces there are:
It fell on the floor and broke into a thousand pieces.
Aside from “break”, you can also use other similar words that describe how something broke like “snap”, “shatter”, “tear”, “crack”, “explode”, etc. For example:
I think I actually heard the bone cracking into two pieces when he hit it.
You live in a small city. The city only has a few buses and no trains. You’re talking to a friend who’s visiting from a larger city, and he asks about how people there get around.
We don’t have much of a mass transit system here
a mass transit system
“Mass transit” means forms of transportation that can be used by a lot of people in a city. It includes local buses, subways, and other trains.
All of the mass transit for an area together is known as the area’s “mass transit system”:
Our mass transit system is surprisingly good for such a small city.
You’re a chemistry teacher. You’re giving a lecture to your class. You’ve finished one topic and now you want to start talking about the next topic.
Moving on, let’s review the differences between ionic and covalent bonds
Moving on, (sentence)
Use the phrase “Moving on” to transition from one topic to another in formal situations like when you’re leading a meeting, interviewing someone, teaching a class, etc.
You use it at the beginning of a sentence like this:
Moving on, let’s discuss the budget cuts.
ionic and covalent bonds
This is a concept from the study of chemistry. Atoms can be bonded (meaning stuck together) to each other in two different ways:
A covalent bond happens when atoms share electrons between them.
An ionic bond happens when one atom removes electrons from another atom, and they are attracted to each other as a result.
There’s a new employee working with you. You’re training him and showing him around. You point to one of the other people you work with and explain who he is.
This guy over there with the dreadlocks, Johnny… he’s kind of the boss’s right hand man
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.
dreadlocks
“Dreadlocks” are hair which is tangled together into thick pieces. People who have dreadlocks either let their hair naturally grow into this style or do things to form the dreadlocks.
Each individual bunch of hair is called “a dreadlock”. All together, you can say that a person “has dreadlocks” or “wears her hair in dreadlocks”.
the boss
When you’re talking about your boss with someone else who works with you, you can use the phrase “the boss”. For example:
The boss says we have to be here at 9:00 tomorrow.
It’s more common to call your boss “the boss”:
when you don’t know your boss well
when you work in a service or labor job, rather than in an office setting
(someone) is (someone’s) right hand man
Your “right hand man” is the person who helps you out the most. It’s not like an assistant, but more like a “second in command”. This is the person you trust and depend on.
By the way, when you’re talking about a woman who holds this position, you might use the phrase “right hand woman”, but you might also use “right hand man” anyway.
You’re watching a science fiction TV show about space explorers. The characters find a strange object in space that’s releasing a lot of radiation. One character says this while looking at a computer screen.
These readings are off the charts!
(instrument) readings
Some scientific instruments have “readings”, which are the information that the equipment shows to the person using it.
(something) is off the charts
When a value is too high to be measured, you can say that it’s “off the charts”. For example:
The last earthquake was pretty bad, but that one we had five years ago was absolutely off the charts!
To understand this phrase, imagine that you made a graph or chart of all of the normal values of something, like the strengths of all the earthquakes that have occurred in a region. An “off the charts” value won’t be able to fit onto the graph.
You can also say that a value is “off the scale”.
There’s a new TV show that you’ve started watching. You’re trying to get your husband to watch it with you, so you describe the show’s main premise.
It’s about this seemingly normal suburban couple who are actually undercover spies.
(something) actually (is / does something)
“Actually” is a word that you use when you’re saying something that you think will be surprising or new information to the listeners. For example:
Wow, this is actually pretty good.
I actually did it myself.
You can use “actually” in several places in a sentence. One place is before a verb, like this:
We’ve actually had to turn away business.
a seemingly (adjective) (something) Use the phrase "seemingly \_\_\_" to talk about something that seems to be one way, but is actually something different. For example:
The drive back was seemingly endless.
It’s amazing how even seemingly reasonable people can get caught up in believing this kind of stuff.
a suburban couple
A “suburban couple” are two married people who live in the suburbs, which is a small town that’s nearby a larger city.
In the U.S., living in the suburbs is associated with having a “normal” family life. The suburbs seem safe but boring.
an undercover spy
A “spy” is someone who pretends to be part of one group, but is actually giving information to another group. For example, the U.S. has spies living in other countries who send information back to the U.S. government.
When a person “goes undercover”, they use a false identity in order to get some kind of information. In addition to spies, police officers also sometimes go undercover.
You’re at a bar with a friend. There’s a man who’s been looking at you, and he just blinked one eye. You think he did it for you and you don’t know how to respond, so you tell your friend about it.
I think the guy in the fedora just winked at me.
(someone) just (did something)
One of the uses of “just” is to express that something happened very recently. It can mean a few minutes before:
I’m sorry, he just walked out to go get lunch.
Or immediately before:
What did he just say?
Or it can mean a few years:
Mankind has just started to study ways to understand and control DNA.
But in any case, “just” means a short time before.
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) in the (something)
You can talk about what a person is wearing with “in the ___”:
the woman in the blue skirt
the kid in the gray hoodie
You can also identify someone with “with the ___”:
the man with the big glasses
a fedora
A “fedora” is a kind of hat. It has a narrow brim going all around the head.
Fedoras were most popular in the mid-1900’s.
wink at (someone) When someone briefly closes one eye while looking at you with the other eye, they may be "winking at" you. Winking is a gesture that suggests that the winking person is sharing some kind of secret with you.
People sometimes use a wink to suggest that there’s some kind of sexual attraction between them and the person they’re winking at.
You can also wink at someone to show that you’re lying to another person. For example, you might tell your brother that the dinner he cooked was really good, while winking at your brother’s children to show that it actually wasn’t very good.
You’ve just met someone. He comes from an area that you’ve been to before on vacation. You really loved visiting that area, so you comment on it.
That region holds a special place in my heart.
a region
A “region” is an area. The size of a region varies. It can be an area the size of a few cities, or the size of several countries. If you’re talking about outer space, it can even mean an area that’s hundreds of millions of times bigger than the earth.
(something) holds a special place in (one’s) heart
If something “holds a special place” in your heart, it means that it’s very emotionally important to you. For example:
Vikki will always hold a special place in my heart.
That job was horrible… but strangely enough, it still holds a special place in my heart.
You usually use this phrase to talk about things that you don’t encounter very often any more, like a friend from your school days, a neighborhood that you don’t live in any more, a pet you had when you were a child, etc.
You’ve been asked to go on a business trip. You’ve just told your husband about it. He doesn’t do much cooking or cleaning at home. You tease him by suggesting that it will be difficult for him when you’re gone.
Looks like you’ll have to fend for yourself for a few days.
It looks like (something is happening)
This phrase can be used when you’re guessing about how something is going to turn out when it’s finished:
It looks like the Yankees are going to win this one.
However, it is also used in situations where something has already happened, and you have to tell the bad news to someone:
Sorry, it looks like we had to reject your loan application.
Saying “it looks like” something bad happened is softer-sounding than simply saying that it happened.
fend for (oneself) "Fending for yourself" mean surviving without outside help. For example, if a group of people gets lost in the wilderness, they will have to "fend for themselves".
It’s common to say that someone has to “fend for themselves” when the main caregiver in a family (usually the mother or wife) is away from home for a few days.
You had to travel to another city at the last minute. You don’t have a hotel reservation, so you go to a hotel and ask this at the reception desk.
Hi. Do you have any vacancies?any (something)
The words “some” and “any” have almost the same meaning. But you use “some” in positive sentences:
He didn’t study at a four-year university, but he does have some formal training.
“Any” is used in negative sentences like this:
It’s not like we need any more food.
It’s also used in questions, like in this example:
Is there any tea left?
(a hotel) has vacancies
If a hotel has rooms which are available for people to rent now, you can say that the hotel “has vacancies”.
Some hotels have a neon sign out front which says “vacancies” if there are rooms available, and “no vacancies” if all of the rooms are full.
You and a friend are about to play basketball against each other. Your friend asks if you’re worried that you’re going to lose. You want to tease your friend, so you threaten him.
It’s you who should be worried, my friend.
It’s (someone) who (does something).
Use this phrase to correct something that another person has just said. For example:
A: You made a mistake.
B: It’s you who has made the mistake!
A: I really think you ought to apologize.
B: Why? It’s he who should apologize.
(sentence), my friend.
People add “my friend” to the end of a sentence sometimes. It’s mostly men who do this when talking to other men.
Some situations in which you can add “my friend” to a sentence include:
When you’re expressing your sympathy for someone:
I understand exactly how you feel, my friend.
When you’re threatening or warning someone:
I wouldn’t do that if I were you, my friend.
This is not a very common way to end a sentence. It’s more common to use someone’s name or a label like “man” a the end of a sentence:
I don’t know, man.
You bought a backpack from an online store. You like it. Now you’re writing a review of it on the store website.
The material seems durable and there is a good deal of padding along the back and straps for a comfortable fit.
a durable material
“Material” means the stuff that something is made of, expecially fabrics.
A “durable” material doesn’t break or wear out easily. It’s tough and lasts a long time.
a good deal of (something)
“A good deal of ___” means something in between “some ___” and “a lot of ___”.
Here’s an example:
There’s been a good deal of rain in the past few weeks, which is really good for the crops.
(something) has padding
“Padding” is some kind of material that’s added to an object to make it softer. Things that have padding include:
sofas
backpacks
helmets
bras
a strap
A “strap” is a long, flat, narrow piece of material which you use to hold things together. Some examples of things that have straps include:
a guitar
a backpack
a heavy camera
a watch
a comfortable fit
Something that has “a comfortable fit” fits well on your body and feels comfortable.
Your ex-boyfriend called you and invited you to have coffee together. Now you’re sitting with him. You want to know why he called and invited you out.
What prompted you to contact me?
contact me
To “contact” someone means to call, email, or send a letter to them. Those words are all specific, but “contact” can mean all three.
In more casual speech, the phrase “get in touch with ___” can be used to mean “contact ___”.
What prompted (someone) to (do something)? You can ask "What prompted you to \_\_\_?" to find out why someone did something. Specifically, you're asking what event made the person decide to start doing that action.
For example, here’s a short conversation:
A: So what prompted you to look for a new job after all of these years working there?
B: Well, they just hired a new manager, who is totally incompetent. I couldn’t stand it any longer.
“What prompted you to ___?” is also a little more formal than asking “Why did you ___?”
You went to watch a movie last weekend. You’re talking about it with a friend, who asks what you thought of the movie. You liked it quite a bit, so you rate it this way.
On a scale of one to five, I’d give it a four.
When people give something a number rating, they usually have an idea of what the top possible rating is. For example, you might rate something a “6” with the idea that the top possible rating is “10”. That top value defines the “scale” of the rating. So you can say:
I’d rate it 6 on a scale of 10.
or
On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d rate it a 6.
The most common scales are one to three, one to four, one to five, one to 10, and one to 100.
I’d give it a (rating)
When you’re rating how good something is, you can say what rating, grade, or score you “would give” it:
I’d give it a three out of ten.
I’d give it a B+.
I’d give it two stars.
Why do we use “would” in this expression? Imagine that part of the sentence is left out:
I’d give it a three out of five (if I were rating it formally).
You’re sending a package at the post office. It’s important, so you want to be able to track where the package is. You ask this at the service counter.
I’d like to send this via registered mail.
I’d like to (do something)
Use this phrase to ask for services at stores, banks, and so on:
Hi. I’d like to deposit this into checking, please.
I’d like to send this via registered mail.
I’d like to cancel my membership.
(send something) via (a method/a service)
Use the word “via” to explain the way that something is sent:
Your purchase will be shipped to you via FedEx.
Back in the day, they used to have to send messages via couriers on horseback.
registered mail
“Registered mail” is a method of sending a letter or package from a post office. Registered mail is tracked, so you can find out where your mail is and whether it’s been received. People usually use registered mail for letters or packages that are kind of important.
You’re a member of gym. You don’t use it very often, so you want to stop being a member. You go to the front desk and say this.
I’d like to cancel my membership.
cancel (one’s) membership
If you’re a member of some service, like a gym, video rental service, etc. and you want to stop being a member, you have to “cancel your membership”.
You can also use the phrase “cancel (one’s subscription)” for subscription services like magazines or web applications, and “cancel (one’s) account” for bank accounts, investment accounts, and so on.
A company wants to advertise on your Internet site. One of your employees thinks that this advertiser is dishonest, and doesn’t think that you should accept the ad. You understand his point, but you disagree.
At the end of the day, though, we can’t afford to turn away business… as I’m sure you’re aware.
turn away (business/customers/etc.) To "turn away" business or customers means to say "no" and not serve them or sell them things. A company might "turn away business" because they already have enough customers, because it's time for a store to close, or because they have some disagreement with certain customers.
You can use “turn away” with other words as well:
turn away gifts
turn away people
turn away advertisers
When you use “it”, “them”, “us”, etc. with “turn away”, “away” comes at the end:
We had to turn them away.
At the end of the day, (sentence)
Use this phrase to share a final opinion or decision about a topic. For example:
At the end of the day, it’s not up to me. It’s the department heads’ call.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to this: are you willing to put in the work that it takes to succeed?
“Ad the end of the day” is common in conversations about business.
(someone) can’t afford to (do something)
When you say that you “can’t afford” to do something, it means that it’s important not to do it. For example:
This is a really important meeting. I can’t afford to be late.
We can’t afford to take the risk.
You can also reverse the phrase:
At these prices, you can’t afford not to buy!
This means “You have to buy.”
… as I’m sure you’re aware.
Add this at the end of a sentence when you think your audience already knew about what you said:
Today is my last day here, as I’m sure you’re aware.
You can also say this if the listener should have known something, but might not have:
It’s your father’s birthday today… as I’m sure you’re aware.
You have bank accounts at two different banks. You want to send some money from one bank to the other every month automatically. You visit the first bank’s website and click this link.
Set up a recurring external transfer.
set up (something) The phrasal verb "set up" means to get something ready to begin. You can use "set up" to talk about:
starting a company
organizing a meeting
creating a bank account
making an appointment
Like other separable phrasal verbs, you can use “set up” in two ways:
set up (something)
set (something) up
Short pronouns like “it” and “them” need to come between “set” and “up”
Can you set it up for me?
If the object is long and complicated, it needs to go at the end:
Why don’t we set up a time to meet and discuss that.
Otherwise, most objects can come either between or after:
My dad helped me set the account up.
My dad helped me set up the account.
a recurring transfer
Something that repeats again and again is “recurring”. We talk about:
recurring problems
a recurring dream
a recurring theme
For a bank account, a “recurring transfer” is money that is automatically sent somewhere at regular times. For example, you might automatically send $200 from your checking account to your savings acount every month.
an external transfer
Sending money from a bank account to some other account is called “making a transfer” or “transferring money”.
If you send the money to another account at the same bank, it’s an internal transfer. “Internal” means “inside”.
If you send the money to an account at another bank, it’s an external transfer. “External” means “outside”.
You don’t cook very much. Instead, you like to order takeout from restaurants. Now you’re talking with a friend about why you do that.
It’s so much easier to order something than to spend all that time going to the grocery store, cooking, washing dishes… Not to mention I’m not that good of a cook to begin with.
order (food)
You use the word “order” for when you ask for food at a restaurant:
What are you going to order?
You can also order things to be delivered to you, like food:
Why don’t we order a pizza?
Things that get delivered in the mail can also be “ordered”.
not to mention (something)
Use “not to mention ___” when you’re listing reasons or excuses. It marks things that are kind of “extra” items on the list.
For example, in the sentence at top the speaker gave two good reasons why smoking is a bad habit: it’s bad for your health and expensive. The bad odor that cigarette smoke leaves is another reason, but it’s not as strong of a reason as the first two. So the speaker adds that to the list with “not to mention”.
The costs, not to mention the risks, of transporting the telescope to and from space would have been excessive.
You can follow “not to mention” with a noun like in the examples above. You can also follow it with a verb:
She’d never even held a gun before, much less shot one.
Or with a clause:
It’s so much easier to order something than to spend all that time going to the grocery store, cooking, washing dishes. Not to mention I’m not that good of a cook to begin with.
not that (adjective) of a (something) Use this construction when you want to:
describe what something is not (“long”)
tell what category it’s in (“a hike”)
For example:
She’s not that good of a singer.
This isn’t that old of a building.
It really isn’t that big of a deal.
Of course, you could also say:
It’s not a very long hike.
She’s not a very good singer.
But these versions put more emphasis on the description (“long”, “good”), while the examples above put a little more emphasis on the category.
spend (time) (doing something)
To “spend time ___ing” means to use your time to do it. You use the word “spend” with time because we think of time as being very valuable, just like money.
go to the grocery store
The grocery store is a market or supermarket where you can buy food and other common household products. Use the phrase “go to the grocery store” to describe someone making a trip to buy things there.
(not something) to begin with
“Not ___ to begin with” means something like “not even ___”.
Imagine that you were supposed to have the day off from work, but your boss asked you to come in at the last minute. While you’re at work, a coworker asks you to cover her shift and work later. You might say:
No way! I’m not even supposed to be here today to begin with.
You’re showing your vacation photos to a friend. One of the photos isn’t clear, so you comment on it.
Our faces are a little out of focus.(something) is out of focus
When you take a photo, some parts of the photo may be “out of focus”. This means that those parts look blurry because of how the camera’s lens was set.
The opposite of “out of focus” is “in focus”:
Make sure that my face is in focus.
And the verb “focus” means to set a camera so that the subject is clear:
How do you focus on this camera?
You’ve been trying to fix a problem with your car’s engine, with your son helping you. You tried to fix it in a few different ways, but now you don’t have any more ideas. You say this to your son.
Hmm… well, I must admit: I’m stumped.
Well
One reason for saying “well” at the beginning of a sentence is to show that you’re unsure about something.
This can happen when someone asks you a question that you don’t immediately know the answer to:
A: What are you doing this weekend?
B: Well, let’s see… Oh! I’m having lunch with Gavin on Saturday.
It can also happen when you’re trying to say something nice, even though you’re thinking things that aren’t nice.
A: What do you think of Lana?
B: Well… she’s… always very punctual.
You shouldn’t use “well” in this way in written English.
Hmm.
This is a noise that English speakers make to show that they’re thinking hard about something. When you’re trying to figure something out, make this noise:
Hmm. I’m not sure about that. Let me get back to you.
I must admit, (clause)
You start a sentence with “I must admit…” when you’re telling people something that you feel just a little bit guilty or ashamed about:
I must admit, I’m not very good at this sort of thing.
You can also say “I must admit” when someone else impresses you more than you expected:
I must admit, you’re quite a singer.
You don’t use this for things that you feel really guilty about, like making a big mistake at work.
You can also use the phrase “I have to admit” in a similar way.
(someone) is stumped
Being “stumped” means that you don’t know the answer to something, and you don’t have any more ideas about how to solve it. For example, you might say this to another student about your math homework:
A: Do you know how to solve number 15?
B: No, I’m stumped.
This idiom doesn’t sound too negative. It is fine to use in either formal or casual situations.
You’re sitting at a coffee shop. A stranger asks, “Would you mind watching my stuff for a minute?”. You’re happy to do that, so you answer.
Not at all
Not at all.
This is one way to respond when someone asks “Do you mind…?” Answer this way if you’re happy to help this person.
Here’s an example of a short conversation:
A: Do you mind giving me a hand with this?
B: Not at all.
A: Thanks!
This answer sounds polite and slightly formal. A less formal answer would be “Sure.”
A: Would you mind calling me when you’re done?
B: Sure.
