TO RUN OUT OF SOMETHING => to finish something.
Tag: Real English
Pop/Old man – Slang
Example sentences from the web:
- In 1995, I called my old man when I landed in Miami after getting cut from the Canadian Football League’s Calgary Stamped-ers and I said, ” Dad, you got ta come get me. “
- My old man phoned to check up on me.
- So you and pop should just go home.
- Sounds like you and your pop had a lot in common.
Teaching with TV series – MAKE IT OR BREAK IT
I’m currently teaching English to a 15-year-old girl and she is fond of gymnastics. This is why I’m teaching her English with Make it or Break it, an American television drama series set in the world of competitive gymnastics. Usually I make a vocabulary list for her, than we watch 15 minutes of one episode without subtitles. While we’re watching I ask her questions in order to check if she’s understanding everything. Then I give her 10-15 sentences with some gaps she’s to fill in and two sentences to translate from Italian into English. After learning English with this method for one year she got a B2 certification, so I must say I’m proud of her and I verified this is actually an effective method. Of course, I’m not just teaching her English with this TV series. Sometimes, we read newspaper articles or we watch a TED-Ed video, etc. but in my opinion, teaching with TV series is the most effective way to get teenagers focusing on learning English without getting stressed. She is not getting bored and she’s learning kind of easily.
Season 2, episode 8:
TO BE ON THE FENCE => unable to decide about something.
Another example sentence: I was on the fence till you showed up, but thanks for helping me decide.
Season 2, episode 9:
To get hold of somebody: to contact or find somebody.
Another example sentence: I got hold of the father, and he said the boy wasn’t there, and he doesn’t know about this yet.
“Night owl” – English idiom
Image source 1; 2.
Some articles on this topic:
Early Bird or Night Owl? It May Be in Your Genes
The Dark Side of Being a Night Owl
“Cock up” – British slang
Example sentences from the web:
- The whole affair was a monumental cock-up from start to finish.
- Nothing goes right, it’s just one cock-up after another!
- I cocked up the orders for table number four.
*Notice that this expression isn’t commonly used in the USA, where it is generally assumed to have a vulgar meaning.
“A problem shared is a problem halved” – English idiom
“To steal someone’s thunder” – English proverb
Example sentences from the web:
– Mike stole my thunder when he said he had done all the work. That isn’t true. In fact, I did most of it!
– What do you mean by coming in here and stealing my thunder? I’m in charge here!
– She stole my thunder, just like she stole last week’s pantsuit design from Versace.
Image source
Image source
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Post & articles on the web with his saying (click on the images to read the whole post/article):
English4Gamers – Episode 5 – Prince of Persia
We published the 5th episode of English4Gamers. Here you can find the episode with a vocabulary list and interactive quiz:
If you want to watch the episode without taking the quiz: Richard Retro . I suggest that before watching it you read the vocabulary list:
Burning Millions’ Worth of Illegal Ivory
I suggest that you read the vocabulary list before watching the video ;-):
VOCABULARY
TUSK => a very long, large tooth that sticks out of the mouth of an animal (such as an elephant, walrus, or boar)
TO GO UP IN SMOKE => to burn up completely
STOCKPILE => a large supply of something that is kept for future use
TO TORCH => to set fire to (something, such as a building) deliberately : to cause (something) to burn
TRADE => the activity or process of buying, selling, or exchanging goods or services
STUNT => something that is done to get attention or publicity
TO BAN => to forbid, to prohibit; to say that something cannot be used or done
TO POACH => to hunt or fish illegally
“Blinding” – British slang
Example sentences from the web:
- I was waiting for a blinding revelation that never came.
- He showed a blinding display of skills.
“Blinding” in the news: The Blinding Success Of The Lumineers
Free English Materials For You 