month6 Flashcards
You ordered a latte at a coffee shop but asked for no foam on it. The barista gave you a latte with foam. You’re annoyed, so you’re complaining to your friend.
What part of “no foam” do they not understand?
What part of “(a quote)” does (someone) not understand?
Use this phrase when:
- you tell a person to do something
- they don’t do it
- you’re annoyed with them
Here’s another example:
> A: Can I borrow your car?B: No.A: Aw, come on! Please?B: What part of “no” do you not understand?
no foam
“Foam” means a lot of little bubbles that stick together. You might see foam in places like:
- in a bubble bath
- in the ocean
- at the top of a glass of beer
Some coffee drinks have foam in them. If you don’t want that, you can say “no foam”:
> Can I get a small latte, no foam?
In your apartment, you have a tall bookshelf set up near your bed with some heavy boxes on top of it. Earthquakes aren’t common in your area, but you’re worried that the boxes would fall and hurt you if one happened. You communicate this fear to your wife.
‘m a little worried about what would happen if we were to have an earthquake
what would happen if (something) were to (happen)
This is a way of talking about an imaginary situation.
Another, simpler way to express the same idea is this:
> I’m a little worried about what would happen if we had an earthquake.
Adding “were to” makes the sentence sound less realistic. So in this sentence:
> What would happen to the kids if we were to die in an accident or something?
…the speaker doesn’t expect to get in an accident; it’s just a hypothetical (imaginary) situation.
we have/had an earthquake
Here is the most common way to talk about a natural disaster like an earthquake:
> There was an earthquake.
But this is another common expression:
> We had an earthquake
Here are some more examples with other disasters and weather events:
> Do you remember the big hurricane we had back in ‘75?.
> They had a thunderstorm last night.
You fell down on the stairs and hurt your knee. Your girlfriend is worried, so you’re reassuring her
I just skinned it a little.
> I just skinned it a little.
skin (one’s) knee
“Skinning” your knee means hurting it by ripping or rubbing some of the skin off of it. This happens when you fall down while moving fast. You can also “skin” your elbows.
Skinning your knees or elbows hurts a lot, but it’s not a really serious injury.
You’re a college student visiting another city. You can’t afford to stay in a hotel, so you want to stay at a friend’s small apartment. After explaining your situation, you ask him like this.
Listen, do you mind if I crash on your couch for a night or two?
Listen
“Listen” is one way to introduce a slightly uncomfortable question or statement. For example:
> Listen, I’m sorry about what I said last night.
> Listen, can I ask you a huge favor? Can you pick Sammy up from school this afternoon?
“Listen” has a kind of direct and forceful sound. It’s not rude in most situations, though.
do you mind if I (do something)
“Do you mind if I ___?” is a friendly-sounding and light way of asking “Can I ___?”
Use “Do you mind if I ___?” to ask for permission when you think that the answer will probably be “yes”. If you think that the person might say “no”, use a different kind of question like:
> Is there any way I could sleep on your couch for a few nights?
> Could I sleep on your couch for a few nights?
crash (somewhere)
“Crashing” somewhere means sleeping there.
“Crash” is a slang term that sounds casual and adventurous. It suggests someone sleeping anywhere, without caring what the conditions are. You can “crash” on someone’s couch or even on their floor.
Men use this expression more often than women.
for a (night/day/week/year) or two
Use this expression when you’re not sure exactly how long something lasts:
> I’ve been studying it for a year or two.
> We haven’t seen her for a week or two.
A friend asks if you’ve ever tried to grow a beard. You’ve tried, but it didn’t look good. You’re explaining why you stopped trying.
There’s one little patch that never seems to grow in.
a patch (of something)
A “patch” is an area where lots of little things grow (or don’t grow). For example, in your garden you can have “a strawberry patch”. On your head, an area where hair doesn’t grow is “a bald patch”.
There’s also another meaning of “patch”, which is a flat piece of something that you use to fix something that’s broken. You sew on a “patch” to fix a ripped piece of clothing, for example.
(something) never seems to (do something)
Use “seems to ___” to talk about a situation or result that you can’t control.
For example:
> He seems to be late.
> Everybody seems to be critical of the President these days, but I still believe in him.
(something) grows in
Use “grow in” to talk about growing things to fill a space or cover an area. Here are some things that “grow in”:
- a child’s first teeth
- grass on a lawn
- an area where your hair has been ripped or burned
You’re visiting a friend’s house in the evening. He’s going to order dinner from a restaurant. He asks if you want anything to eat, but you’re full already.
No, I’m good. I had a late lunch.
No, I’m good.
“I’m good” is a casual expression that means “No thanks.”
You can respond “I’m good” when someone offers you something (like food) but you don’t need it:
A: Here, have a piece of cake.
B: No, I’m good.
Use it with friends, coworkers, and family members.
(someone) had a late lunch
A “late lunch” means that you ate lunch later than usual.
People use this phrase to explain why they’re not hungry at dinner time.
The child that you babysit had some kind of accident. He’s upset and crying. He’s trying to tell you about the accident, but it doesn’t make sense. You tell him to start telling the story again in order.
Hold on, hold on. Start at the beginning.
Hold on.
The phrase “hold on” means “wait”. For example:
Hold on — you might be able to recover it.
Hold on. Just hear me out first.
You tell someone to “hold on” when you want them to wait for a short time. You use “hold on” instead of “wait” when the reason for the listener to wait is not that important. In an emergency situation, you would clearly yell “Wait!”. But in normal conversation, “hold on” usually fits better.
Start at the beginning.
Use this expression when someone is trying to explain something that happened, but their story doesn’t make sense. This happens when someone gets too excited, too scared, too nervous, etc. You want them to tell the story in order, from beginning to end, so that you can understand it better.
Your daughter says something about farting while your family was eating dinner together. This is rude, so you warn her that she shouldn’t say that.
We do not talk about bodily functions at the dinner table!
We do not (do something).
This is a formal way to teach rules to children. When a child does something wrong, you say “We do not…”:
We do not take things that do not belong to us.
We do not call people names.
This phrase sounds strict and formal. You can imagine an older, wealthy woman saying this to her grandchildren.
bodily functions
“Bodily functions” are things that a person’s body does which aren’t very pleasant. Some bodily functions include:
peeing
farting
pooping
burping
digesting food
It’s usually not polite to talk about bodily functions.
(do something) at the dinner table
You can talk this way about things that a person does while eating dinner at home:
My wife and I made a rule not to talk about work at the dinner table.
How many times do I have to tell you? No cell phones at the dinner table!
Of course, for most people the “dinner table” is the same table that they use for breakfast and lunch. At breakfast, you can call it “the breakfast table”:
I used to rush and do my homework at the breakfast table in the morning.
You’re watching a commercial for a frozen pizza. The announcer on the commercial says this.
We use only the finest ingredients.
only the (best/finest/highest quality/etc.)
In advertisements, companies sometimes brag about having very high standards. To do this, they use the phrase “only the ___”:
We use only the highest quality water in our beer.
We hire only the best and brightest engineers.
This phrase suggests that the company doesn’t allow anything lower than this standard.
People don’t use this phrase very often outside of advertisements.
the finest ingredients
Ingredients in cooking can be described as “high-quality”:
The secret to good cooking is to start with fresh, high-quality ingredients.
But “the finest ingredients” sounds fancier and even more high-quality. You hear this phrase sometimese in advertisements.
Other things that can be described as “fine” include:
fine wine
fine silk
fine restaurants
fine jewelry
fine detail
You got a new passport. The pages are thicker and can’t be ripped easily. You notice this and say something about it to your husband:
This one’s a lot more durable than the old one.
this one / the old one
Use “this one” to talk about something that’s close to you right now, or very recently. For example:
A: Which one do you like?
B: I like this one.
Have you seen this one? (Pointing at a video on your computer)
Why do you need “one” with it? “This” and “that” can also be used by themselves:
I like this.
People use “one” when they’re choosing one thing out of a group. It’s like you’re saying “this one, not the others”.
(something) is durable
A “durable” object doesn’t get broken, torn, or cracked easily.
Some things that you can describe as “durable” include:
durable material
durable plastic
durable fabric
At work, one of the employees you manage noticed a problem with your software. She asks if you should tell your clients about it. You’re afraid that the clients will get upset and have a lot of questions about it. You say:
I’d rather not open up that whole can of worms.
I’d rather not (do something)
“I’d rather not…” means “I don’t want to…”
People say “I’d rather not…” to talk about something that they don’t want to do, although they might have to. For example, if you’re shopping for a new car, you can tell the salesperson:
I’d rather not go over fifteen thousand.
This means that you don’t want to spend more than fifteen thousand dollars (or Euros, Pounds, etc.) on the car. However, you know that you might have to spend more than that.
If you’re in a bad mood, and someone asks you what’s wrong, you can respond this way:
I’d rather not talk about it.
You can also say “I’d rather not” without continuing the sentence:
A: We can sleep at the Sutherlands’ house and go back in the morning.
B: I’d rather not.
open up a can of worms
Some problems are so difficult that it’s best not to even try to talk about them or solve them. When you start trying to fix the problem, it causes many more problems. We call this situation “opening up a can of worms”.
For example, imagine that you and your sister have been arguing with each other over who should take care of your parents in their old age. For the past few months, you haven’t talked about it. Now you and your husband are on your way to eat dinner with your sister’s family. You tell your husband:
Don’t mention anything about my parents. I don’t want to open up that can of worms.
You say this because you know that you and your sister will get into a long, angry argument if you start talking about that topic.
The phrase "a can of worms" is quite common and can be used in casual or formal situations. that whole (something)
People sometime talk about things that are complicated, annoying, or difficult with the phrase “that whole ___”:
I don’t know anything about that whole mess. I just let my accountant take care of it.
What ever happened to that whole “Occupy Wall Street” business that people were talking about so much a few months ago?
Sometimes when English speakers say “that whole ___”, they wave their hands in the air in a pushing or sweeping motion away from themselves.
You get a phone call while you’re on the line with someone else. You answer it, but you want to finish the other conversation first.
Rina, let me call you right back.
(name), (sentence)
You can say a person’s name to get their attention in a phone conversation or a face-to-face conversation. For example:
A: …and then I told her that if they weren’t going to pay for me to fly, I wasn’t —
B: Selena, hold on a second. Someone else is calling me.
Let me (do something) You say "Let me \_\_\_" when you are announcing what you're going do do:
Let me give you a few examples.
Let me tell you a bit about my background.
This is more polite than saying “I’m going to ___.”
call (someone) right back
Calling someone “right back” means calling them very soon after they called you.
You can call someone “right back” if you missed their call, or if you spoke to them but had to stop the call before your conversation was completely finished.
You can also say “call (someone) back”, which sounds slower than calling them “right back”:
Rina, let me call you back later this afternoon.
You try a new beer that comes from a brewery that was recently built near your house. It’s surprisingly good. You’re telling the people that you’re eating dinner with that you like it.
(something) is not half bad
This is a casual way of saying that something is quite good.
This is an example of understatement. What you really mean is “This is really good!” but you say “This is not half bad” instead because:
you want to seem relaxed and not too easily excited
you want to emphasize how good something is by understating it in a funny way
you just want to express your feelings in an unexpected way
You can use this expression in all kinds of situations, but it’s most common in casual spoken English.
Your son wanted to join his school’s basketball team. He tried out for it. You just found out that he was successful, and you’re passing the news on to your wife.
(someone) made the team
When someone is selected to join a team, you say that they “made” the team.
The word “make” is used in the same way in these expressions:
In an audition or tryout system, each time you go to the next round, you can say that you “made the cut”. If you “didn’t make the cut”, it means that you were eliminated and won’t be chosen.
If a student gets good grades in school, they might”make the honor roll”, which is a list of the top students.
You can “make a list” of something. For example:
David made the “Top 40 Influential Entrepreneurs” last year.
Sometimes it can be confusing whether someone is using “make” in this way or with the meaning of “create”. For example:
David made the list.
This could mean that he was chosen to be on the list, or that he created it. You have to figure out which way it’s being used based on the situation.
Your knee often hurts because of a sports injury you got many years ago. Today it’s hurting. Someone asks if something is wrong, so you explain what’s happening.
My knee is acting up again.
(something) is acting up
You say that a child who behaves badly is “acting up”.
We’ve also extended the meaning of this phrase to talk about objects like cars, computers, body parts, etc. You say that an object is “acting up” when it doesn’t work as it’s supposed to or causes trouble. For example:
A: Argh!
B: What’s wrong?
A: My computer is acting up again.
My arthritis hasn’t been acting up lately.
You’re hanging out with a group of friends late at night. You want to ask a silly question to start a discussion.
If you could live in any period in history, which one would it be?
If you could (do something), (which/what/when/etc.) would (clause)
This is a common way to ask a question that is purely imaginary. People ask questions like this to find out about a person’s interests and personality in a playful way.
Here are several other similar questions:
If you could be any animal, which one would you be?
If you could visit any country in the world, which one would you visit?
If you could have dinner with anyone throughout history, who would it be?
When you answer these questions, your answer should start with “I would…”:
A: If you could live in any period in history, which one would it be?
B: I think I would live in the Old West.
Questions like this are called “hypothetical questions”.
a period in history
A collection of years in history that had some common them is called a “period in history”. Many periods in history are well-known and have common names. For example:
The Jurassic Period is when dinosaurs were alive
The Stone Age is when people used tools made of stone
The ancient Egyptian period
The Industrial Revolution is the period when people started building factories and machines.
The Ming Dynastyis a well-known time period in China when it was ruled by the Ming family.
Of course there are many others.
You can also call shorter and more recent lengths of time “historical periods”. For example:
The 60’s is one of my favorite historical periods.
You’ve traveled to a certain country that has very strict laws. You’re warning someone who’s traveling there soon to be careful of the police there.
They can hold you indefinitely without a trial.
(the police) hold (someone) without a trial
When the police “hold” a person, they keep them in jail.
If a person has been convicted of a crime and sent to prison, you don’t use the word “hold”. You use “hold” for a temporary stay in a jail. Usually a person is “held” by the police for a day or a few weeks:
We’re going to hold him here overnight.
He’s being held in the Vance County jail on suspicion of drug trafficking.
However, in some countries, the police can “hold” a suspect “without a trial” for a lot longer. This means that the police don’t have to prove that you committed a crime. They have the power to hold people in jail for as long as they want.
(do something) indefinitely
Doing something “indefinitely” means doing it without an end point.
For example, imagine that a police officer gets suspended from her job because she did something wrong:
A: How long is she suspended for?
B: Indefinitely.
This means that a time hasn’t been set for her to return to her job. She might be allowed to return in a few weeks, or she might never be allowed to return.
The word “indefinitely” is a little technical-sounding, so people use it for talking about serious topics.
Your apartment is hot and has a little bit of a bad smell. You think that you should open one of the windows, so you say this to your roommate.
Let’s crack open a window and get some fresh air in here.
crack open a window
To “crack open” a window means to open it a little bit. However, sometimes people say “crack open” just to sound cool, when actually they mean to open something completely.
Other things that you can “crack open” include:
Come on over! We’ll crack open a bottle of wine and cook some steak on the grill.
I saw him crack open the door and look out.
get some fresh air in (a place)
“Fresh air” is air that:
comes from outside
is clean
doesn’t smell bad
is dry and cool
Air that you breathe out in the countryside on a cool, sunny day is the perfect example of “fresh air”. But if you’re riding in a dirty car with no air conditioning in the summer, then you might call the air from outside the car “fresh”, even if it’s dirty and warm.
When people want to breathe fresh air, they say “I want to get some fresh air.” If they’re in a room or car, they might say “Let’s get some fresh air in here.”
You want a cup of coffee, but you’ve run out of coffee at home. You make a cup of tea instead, and say this to yourself:
Better than nothing, I guess.
(something) is better than nothing.
This expression is useful for the following situation:
There’s something specific which you want.
You can’t get it.
You can get something else, which is not as good but is OK.
For example, if you really want some vanilla ice cream, but you don’t have any, you can eat a cookie instead and think:
A cookie is better than nothing.
(sentence), I guess.
When you’re either not very sure or not very happy about what you’re saying, you can end your sentence with “…I guess.”
A: It’s not working.
B: You have to have a password, I guess.
I’ll stay here and keep working, I guess.
A client asks you for some research information about the results of your company’s product. You don’t have the research, but you will send it to your client when you get it. You tell them this.
We’ll pass that along as soon as we have it.
pass (some information) along
“Passing something along” means passing something from one person to the next person in a line. People often use this phrase to talk about information: one person gets some information, then tells someone else.
For example:
> We’re expected to have an answer later this week. When we hear, we’ll pass it along to you.
> Just tell Jun and have him pass it along to everyone.
(do something) as soon as (something happens)
The phrase “as soon as” expresses something that happens immediately after something else:
> He called as soon as he heard the news.
> I went straight to sleep as soon as I got home.
Another way of expressing a similar idea is “when”:
> I’ll start dinner when I finish writing this e-mail.
But you use “as soon as” to emphasize that you’re doing it as quickly as you can. So this phrase is useful in situations where you’re making an excuse for being late.
You’re explaining how to make a stew. You’ve explained some of the steps, and now you’re explaining the last step.
After that, you just have to simmer it for an hour or so.
After that, (sentence)
Use this phrase when you’re describing things in order, especially for instructions:
> First you fry up the meatballs and set them aside. Then you chop up some onions and celery and cook them on low heat for about 15 minutes. After that, you add the tomatoes and garlic.
You don’t usually use “after that” for the second step in the list, but you can use it for the third or any other step after that.
you just have to (do something)
When you’re giving instructions or explaining how to do something, you can introduce an easy step with “you just have to ___”. For example:
> It’s pretty easy to renew your license in the U.S. You just have to bring your old license to the DMV and pay the fee.
simmer (something)
“Simmering” is a specific cooking technique that people use to make soups, stews, sauces, and so on.
When you “simmer” food that has liquid in it, you turn the temperature down low so that it bubbles every few seconds. This is a lower temperature than “boiling”.
(do something) for an hour or so
This is an expression for talking about time loosely. “The next week or so” means “about the next week”. It could be in 5 days, in 10 days, etc.:
> Think it over and let me know in the next week or so.
Here’s an example from the “Questions” page on this site:
> This is an example of hiphop slang from the past 15 years or so.
You’re going to have after-work drinks with some coworkers. One coworker doesn’t usually come. Today he seems stressed. You want to invite him to come with you, so you say:
Come on out with us and blow off some steam!
Come on (somewhere)
“Come on ___” means “come” but sounds more casual and friendly. Here are some examples:
> We’re having a little get-together at our place. Come on over if you’re not doing anything.
> Come on in.
> Come on up to my office whenever you’re ready.
go/come out with (someone)
“Going out with” someone usually means going to a restaurant or bar with them:
Use “go” when you and the listener are going to go to the place together.
Use “come” when you’re already at the place, or when you already have plans to go to the place with other people and aren’t sure whether the listener is going to come with you.
Another meaning of “going out with (someone)” is going on a date together.
blow off steam
To “blow off steam” means to get rid of stress. You “blow off steam” by doing things like drinking, complaining about work with coworkers, yelling at someone, or maybe doing exercise or playing video games.
This expression comes from the old days of steam-powered engines. When the pressure inside the engine got too high, the engine operators had to let some of the steam out. Stress is like steam that has to be released.
A lot of people work hard to get a higher-paying job and bigger house, but you don’t like this. You’re complaining about this way of thinking to a friend. You say:
I could care less about climbing the social ladder or whatever.
I could care less about (something)
“I could care less” means that you don’t care about something at all. Use this phrase to talk about something that annoys you. For example:
> I could care less what she has to say. I’m done with her!
> To be honest, I could care less about sports.
“I could care less” is actually incorrect. The correct phrase is “I couldn’t care less”, meaning that it’s impossible for you to care about something less than you already do. However, a lot of people say “I could care less” as well. It’s technically a mistake, but a lot of people make this mistake.
climb the social ladder
Imagine that society is a ladder. The people at the bottom of the ladder are poor. The people at the top are rich, powerful, and famous.
So when a person works hard to get promotions at work, make more money, and impress people, you can say that they are “climbing the social ladder”.
This phrase has negative associations. We think of someone who “climbs the social ladder” as being a little bit greedy, sneaky, and aggressive,
(sentence) or whatever
Put “…or whatever” at the end of a sentence to show that you’re not talking about only one specific thing. For example:
> She’s always asking for money for gas or whatever.
This means that this person asks for money for many things, including for gas.
Another phrase with a similar meaning is “…or something”:
> He said to get him a hamburger or something.
The difference is that “…or whatever” is more negative. You use it when you’re talking about something that you don’t like or don’t think is important.
You’re watching a documentary on TV about a war in ancient Rome. You remember studying this and writing about it when you were a student. You tell your girlfriend about it.
I actually wrote a paper on this in college.
I actually (did 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.
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.
write a paper on (a topic)
When you’re in school, you have to “write papers” on different topics. A “paper” is something that you write about a certain topic. It’s usually between 2-20 pages long.
You also write essays in school. An “essay” is shorter than a “paper”.
(someone)(did something) in college
When Americans say that they did something “in college”, they mean that they did it while they were a university student.
Here’s a full explanation of the difference between “college” and “university”.
Your sister is telling a story about your father at a family party. In the story, she politely says that your father was “frugal” when you were children (meaning that he always saved his money). You want to tease your father a little more, so you say:
Frugal? Cheap is more like it!
(someone) is frugal
A “frugal” person tries not to waste money. They do things like:
- eating at home instead of going out to a restaurant
- buying used clothes instead of new ones
- driving an old car
Being “frugal” is a good quality.
(someone) is cheap
A “cheap” person is someone who doesn’t want to spend money. “Cheap” people do things like:
- not turning on the heater when it’s cold
- not buying gifts for people
- not going on vacations, even though they have enough money
Being “cheap” is bad, so calling someone “cheap” is an insult.
(something) is more like it
Use this phrase in the following situation:
- Someone uses a word to describe something. (For example, “Our father is pretty frugal.”)
- You disagree with that description.
- You want to replace that word with something else.
For example:
> A: His art is… interesting.B: Ha! Ridiculous is more like it!
People usually use this expression to replace a positive word with a negative one. But you can also use it in the opposite way:
> He said it was “nice”, but “amazing” is more like it, if you ask me.
You’re filling out a survey. The first question is for people who own a car, but you don’t have one. You say this to yourself.
The first item doesn’t really apply to me.
an item (in a form)
In a form, such as a survey or application, each question can be called an “item”.
You can also use the word “item” to talk about a list:
> We need to update this checklist. I guess the best way to do it is just to go through it item by item.
…or an agenda for a meeting:
> The next item on the agenda is the proposal to switch to a paperless order system.
(something) doesn’t apply to (something)
When a rule or question is for other people, not for you, you can say that it “doesn’t apply to” you.
For example, if you work at a store, there might be a sign on one of the doors saying “Do not enter.” However, that sign is for customers. Since you’re not a customer, you can enter that room. The sign “doesn’t apply to” you.
Here are some examples of “apply to ___” in sentences:
> Some people say that the Bible doesn’t apply to modern life. Well, I couldn’t disagree more.
> The tuition discount only applies to people who have been living within the state for three years or longer.
You’re explaining what your charity organization does at a street fair.
We provide assistance to disabled veterans.
provide assistance to (someone)
“Assistance” means “help”. “Provide” means “give”. So “providing assistance” to someone means helping them.
One way that we use “provide assistance” is to talk about organizations that give money to groups to help people like disaster victims, people with disabilities, and so on:
> Donations will go to provide assistance to families displaced by the recent earthquake.
You can also use “provide assistance” to describe helping someone in very formal speech. For example, if you are a witness in court, you might describe helping someone to the judge like this:
> I saw a vehicle parked on the side of the road with its warning lights on, so I stopped to provide assistance.
a disabled (person)
A “disability” is some kind of problem with a person’s body such as:
- blindness
- deafness
- a missing arm or leg
- a mental disability
A person who has one of these problems is called “disabled”
If you want to be very careful not to offend someone with one of these problems, you might use the term “differently abled” instead of “disabled”. However, not everyone accepts this term because some people think that it’s silly to be so careful about what we call people in this group.
a veteran
A “veteran” is someone who has been in the military or fought in a war.
Veterans are sometimes identified by the war that they fought in:
> a World War II veteran
You need to hire an office assistant. You want someone who will do a good job without being told what to do. You write the job description:
We’re looking for a highly-motivated, super-organized self-starter.
We’re looking for (an employee)
Advertisements for open job positions are often written starting with “We’re looking for…”. For example:
> We’re looking for someone with at least six years of experience in digital publishing.
> We’re looking for a hard-working, experienced 6th grade Math teacher.
This phrase is rather casual. A more formal way to write about a job candidate is “We are seeking…”:
a highly-motivated (person)
A “motivated” person works hard because they really want to succeed. When someone works hard at their job or at practicing something, you can say:
> She’s always been really motivated.
A more formal way to say “really motivated” is “highly motivated”.
> He’s smart, helpful, and highly motivated.
Use a hyphen (“highly-motivated”) when you use this phrase before a noun in written English:
> a highly-motivated person
Don’t use a hyphen when the phrase stands on its own:
> They are highly motivated.
a super-organized (person)
An “organized” person keeps things in order. They know where to find information, don’t forget things, and don’t miss deadlines.
“Super-organized” means “very, very organized”.
Some other adjectives that fit well with “super-“ are:
> super coolsuper easysuper expensivesuper friendlysuper excited
Use a hyphen (“highly-motivated”) when you use this phrase before a noun in written English:
> a super-organized person
Don’t use a hyphen when the phrase stands on its own:
> He’s super organized.
(someone) is a self-starter
A “self-starter” is someone who finds work that needs to be done and does it. They don’t need their boss or coworkers to tell them what to do.
Companies often write that they’re looking for “a self-starter” in job postings.
You’re playing softball with a group of friends. You tried to hit the ball, but missed 3 times so you got struck out. Now you’re explaining to your teammates why you missed.
I couldn’t see because of the glare.
a glare
A “glare” is light that’s brighter than other lights around it. A “glare” makes it difficult to see things. A glare can come from places like:
- the sun
- a reflection of the sun on a screen or window
- a TV or computer in a dark room
- a street light at night
An example of “glare” used in a sentence is:
> I couldn’t see because of the glare.
