Week 3 Day 6 Flashcards
That seems like (something)
When you’re having a conversation, it’s good to respond to what the other person says. For example:
A: I’m going to Spain next weekend.
B: Cool. That seems exciting!
The phrase “That seems ___” is a useful way to comment on what someone has just said. You follow it with an adjective like “fun” or “difficult”.
If you wan to use a noun instead of an adjective, change the phrase to “That seems like ___.”
That seems like a lot of work.
break into (an industry or field)
Some industries or fields of work are very competitive. It can be difficult to become something like
an actor/a politician/an artist/a university professor
Getting a job in a competitive field is known as “breaking into” that field. (Thousands of people move to Hollywood every year hoping to break into the movie industry.)
I can’t stand (something)
Talk about something you don’t like at all with the phrase “I can’t stand ___”:
I can’t stand olives!
I can’t stand losing.
I can’t stand being apart from you for so long.
I can’t stand people who make racist jokes.
I can’t stand it when people talk while they’re chewing their food.
It’s not that common to use “stand” this way in positive sentences. Instead of saying that you can stand something, say that you can “tolerate” or “handle” it:
A: Do you like rap music?
B: Yeah, it’s not my favorite but I can usually tolerate it.
I can’t stand when a man doesn’t trim his nails.
strike up (a friendship/ relationship/ conversation)
to start becoming friends with someone or to start talking to them (If you are interested in speaking English fluently hang out with foreigners and be brave, try to strike up a conversation with them.)
homage (formal)
sth you do to show your respect for someone or something you think is important (Vain Diesel payed homage to the unexpected death of his close friend Paul Walker.)
bump
(one meaning) a small raised area on a surface (Adam Levine: It may make a weird bump in my jeans. After Ellen gave him a boxer with wings.)
raw
if part of your skin rubs against something a lot, it might become red and painful. So you can say your skin is raw
sole
the bottom part of sb’s foot is called sole of the foot. Bottom a shoe is also called sole. It’s not too formal or too casual and can be used in any situation
all that
use it when you want to talk about an action that you’ve done a lot (All that waiting made me nervous so I went across the street and got a snack.) (The soles of my feet are raw from all that walking.)
get reception
any device like a phone, TV or any other wireless device gets a clear signal. when you get reception it means that your device is connected to the wireless service. Having reception and getting reception means to continue to be connected. When you lose reception it means you get disconnected. It’s uncountable so you mustn’t use with “a” but “any” is OK. Get a signal is also used. (I’m not getting reception at all.) (Sorry I wasn’t able to call you back earlier because I was driving through mountains and I lost reception.)
launch (a computer program)
“Launching” a computer program means starting it up. (I tried launching Internet Explorer, but it crashed.)
English speakers especially use the word “launch” for programs that start up slowly. The word “open” can be used for any program, whether it’s fast or slow to start: (Open Excle, and then choose “File” and then “Create from Template”.)
you’re breaking up
This is a phrase you use when part of a conversation over mobile phone gets cut off because of bad reception: (Hey, you’re breaking up. Let me call you back in a few minutes.)
You can also say that “the connection is breaking up”.
