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Tag: English
From A to Z – English idiom
Example sentences from the web:
- The book is titled “Home Repairs From A to Z.”
- John knows English history from A to Z.
- She made it all up from A to Z.
English4Gamers – Episode 9 – Donkey Kong Country
Last Tuesday Richard published the 9th episode of English4Gamers. Unfortunately, I was a bit busy last week 😦 and I didn’t manage to share it with you. As always, I wrote a vocabulary list and I suggest that you read it before watching the video. This time, we decided to play Donkey Kong Country, a 1994 platforming videogame published by Nintendo. The game is set on an island and the protagonists are Donkey Kong and his nephew Diddy Kong. They must recover their stolen hoard of bananas stolen by the Kremlings (anthropomorphic crocodilians). You can test your listening skills with a fill in the gaps exercise.
VOCABULARY
CROCODILE: 
TO PICK: to take something with your fingers; to gather together; to collect.
They were picking strawberries last week.
TO DEFEAT: to win against someone in a fight, war, or competition.
We must be ready to defeat our enemies in battle.
TO ROLL: to move forward while turning over and over.
BARREL: 
STORYLINE: the plot of a book, film, play, etc.
SUPPLY: the amount of something that is available to be used.
Ex. We have three months’ supply of tuna to eat.
RHINO: rhinoceros.
TO SWITCH: to make a change from one thing to another.
Ex. After the bank robbery, the gang switched cars.
ROPE: a strong, thick string that is made by twisting many thin strings or fibres together.
Ex. She made a knot in the rope.
TO SWING: to move backwards and forward or from side to side while hanging from something.
WASP: a flying insect, often black and yellow, that can sting.
BEE: a yellow and black flying insect that makes honey and can sting you.
TIP: a useful suggestion.
Bob gave us some tips about travelling in Italy.
CAVE: a hollow or natural passage under or into the earth, especially one with an opening to the surface.
SWORDFISH: 
Downloadable PDF version: English4Gamers Episode 9 Donkey Kong County
Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with the correct words:
- R: I finished it _______________times.
- R: What kind of _______________ do we have here?
- R: Basically, you are versus _______________.
- A: How many_______________do we have?
- A: How can you _______________ enemies?
- R: Or you jump over them or you _______________.
- A: Is there a _________________?
- R: You are Donkey Kong. You live in this_______________. One day, this crocodile, the Crocodile King came to your island and stole all your bananas.
- A: Yeah … My secret supply of _______________ hidden somewhere … He’s found it and …
- R: It’s a _______________ hard game, I must say.
- R: When you _______________ three of them … oh … I’ve just failed … When you pick three of them you gain a bonus _______________ where you can get more lives.
- A: But it’s difficult. I cannot see _______________.
- R: This is the first _______________, you have to collect four of them.
- A: I don’t like _______________ … This is _______________ rain. I want a sunny day.
- A: No, the big one is a _______________.
- R: This is a _______________, right? Not a bee.
- A: Bees are really nice and _______________ actually.
- A: Did you just _______________ at the exit?
- A: I like that they’re _______________ together.
- R: This is our _______________ probably, who give you tips and …
- R: This is a _______________ – level.
- A: You have to take your _______________.
Downloadable PDF version (without answers):English4Gamers – Episode 9 – Donkey Kong Country – Fill in the gaps
Downloadable PDF version (answers):English4Gamers Donkey Kong Country Answers
“A good husband makes a good wife” – English proverb
Image source
Example sentence:
- Don’t blame your wife for being quick-tempered with you; you haven’t been kind to her lately. A good husband makes a good wife!
QUICK-TEMPERED => becoming angry quickly and easily.
“To hit the hay” – English idiom
Image source: 1; 2.
Another way to say it is TO HIT THE SACK ;-).
This is a nice comic on this idiom made by Ploopikoosy:
More example sentences from the web:
- I have a busy day tomorrow, so I think I’ll hit the hay.
- Time to go home and hit the hay!
- I’m tired, I’m gonna hit the hay.
- Well, I’m going to hit the hay, I’m feeling pretty tired. Good night!
Here, you can read about the origin of this idiom: The meaning and origin of the expression: Hit the hay
“Truce” – What does it mean?
Example sentences from the web:
- The warring countries refused to create any official cease-fire, but on Christmas, the soldiers in the trenches declared their own unofficial truce.
Source: Christmas Truce of 1914 - The man at the center of the truce was the former security minister, David Munguía Payés, a general who is now the defense minister […].
Source: El Salvador Throws Out Gang Truce and Officials Who Put It in Place - We break the truce, drive a wedge between them.
TO BREAK A TRUCE => To start fighting again breaking a previous agreement of peace.
“The Story Behind Your Bowl Of Ramen Noodles” – AJ+ – Listening comprehension
This is a listening activity based on the AJ+ video “The Story Behind Your Bowl Of Ramen Noodles”. I suggest that you read the following vocabulary list before watching the video. Then, watch the video and try to complete the sentences with the correct word from the box.
VOCABULARY
Bowl: 
Migrant: a person who goes from one place to another especially to find work.
Ex. Economic migrants move abroad to escape poverty and improve their financial condition.
Labor: workers considered as a group.
Ex. We had this huge harvest, so we had to hire all this cheap labor.
Shortage: a state in which there is not enough of something that is needed.
Ex. In many European countries, agricultural businesses complain about the shortage of skilled workers.
Wheat: 
Consumption: the act of eating or drinking something.
Ex. Alcohol consumption constitutes a major danger to road safety.
Uprising: an act of resistance or rebellion; a revolt.
Ex. He weighed 38 kilos when he escaped from prison during the 1956 Hungarian uprising and fled to the Netherlands.
To lead: to lie or go in a specified direction.
Ex. This way will lead us to the main entrance for sure.
Affordable: inexpensive; reasonably priced.
Ex. Railways have many benefits, as travelling by rail is affordable and environmentally friendly.
Lifestyle: the way a person lives or a group of people live.
Ex. Technology, the internet, they have changed our lifestyle.
Quintessential: the most important part of something.
Ex. Sheep’s milk cheese is the quintessential Corsican cheese.
Dorm: informal, short for dormitory.
Image source
Wildfire/ like wildfire: (informal) very quickly.
Ex. The news had spread like wildfire.
To devour: eat hungrily or quickly.
Image source
Downloadable PDF version: The Story Behind Your Bowl Of Ramen – Vocabulary
Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with the correct word from the box
- This signature Japanese ___________ is now an international favorite.
- Ramen as we know it comes from Japan but its popularity in the country is actually ___________ new.
- Then Japan entered World War II which led to major food ___________ across the country and ramen’s popularity pretty much disappeared.
- When the war ended the US occupied Japan and imported a whole lot of wheat to the country, leading to more noodle _____________________.
- And one reason why there was so much ______________ imported was because there was a fear that food shortages could lead to _________________uprising.
- After those really hard times, from the 1950s to 1970s Japan went through an _____________________ boom.
- And busy lifestyles led to the creation ________________ ramen in the 1950s.
- Then in the 1970s the super convenient just add water ________________ dorm food cup of noodles was made and it took off like ________________ in Japan and internationally.
- But it wasn’t until the 1980s that ramen actually became an_______________ part of Japanese culture.
- Today the love for ramen is real in Japan and what was once a working men’s food is now a ___________________ love and __________________ dish around the world.
Downloadable PDF version (without answers): The Story Behind Your Bowl Of Ramen Noodles – AJ+ – Fill in the gaps exercise
Downloadable PDF version (answers): The Story Behind Your Bowl Of Ramen Noodles – AJ+ – Exercise’s answers
English4Gamers – Episode 6 – Super Mario Kart
The 6th episode of English4Gamers is out :-)! In this episode, we play Super Mario Kart, a racing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and the first game of the Mario Kart series. I suggest that you read the vocabulary list before watching the episode ;-). I’ll upload an interactive quiz based on this episode tomorrow or Sunday. We are trying to improve, so if you have any suggestion, please, let us know :-).
“Corny” – What does it mean?
Image source: 1, 2.
Example sentences from the web:
- My sister said the card was corny, but I thought it was sweet.
- I don’t wanna sound corny, but it’s nice, you and I having one-on-one time.
- I mean, it sounds corny, but my job means more to me than just a career.
- I know it sounds corny, but we made a big difference in that person’s life.
New words in English: “clipped wing generation”; “genervacation”; “adultism”
clipped wing generation noun the generation of young adults who are unable to be independent of their parents because they cannot afford independent living costs, William Wragg, aged 28, is among …
Source: New words – 9 May 2016
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