Monthly Archives: January 2012

Idiom Focus: Common English Idioms 10

Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn.  An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.  Currently, we’re looking at some common English idioms.

give someone a hand:  1) to help someone  2) to applaud someone

Example:

1)  Sure, I can give you a hand with printing the programs for the concert.
2)  Let’s give Tom a hand for his wonderful solo performance.

 

Got a minute?:  Do you have a little bit of free time?  Can I briefly talk to you about something?

Example:

You got a minute?  I need some help with this spreadsheet.

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Culture Focus: Losing Baby Teeth

missing two front teeth

 

Losing baby teeth is sort of a significant event in American culture, and so we have a ritual associated with it. When a child loses a tooth, he saves the tooth and puts it under his pillow that night when he goes to bed. During the night, the “tooth fairy” comes and takes away the tooth. In place of the baby tooth, the tooth fairy leaves some money – maybe a quarter, or even a dollar in some cases. Of course, the “tooth fairy” is really Mom or Dad :).

Sometimes, a fancy little pillow or pocket is used to hold the tooth until the tooth fairy comes, and then the money is put in the pillow or pocket. Usually, though, the tooth is just placed under the child’s sleeping pillow.

When a child notices that a tooth is loose, he gets excited, because he knows that it will fall out soon. He may wiggle the tooth every day until it is ready to fall out, or he may ask a parent or older sibling to help him pull it out. A favorite method for pulling out a loose baby tooth is to tie a string around the tooth and yank it out quickly. Other times a parent may use a small cloth (to get a better grip on the tooth) to pull out the tooth. Sometimes, though, a child expects that having a tooth pulled will hurt too much, and would rather let it fall out on its own. Such children may find that they bite something crunchy, like an apple, and look down to see their baby tooth stuck in the apple!

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Grammar Basics: Unit 9 – “I have” and “I’ve got” (Solutions)

Exercises: Use the following words as prompts to write a sentence using “have / have got,” using the correct forms of “have/has”. Also write the corresponding question.

Example:

you / apple ==>

  • You have an apple. / You’ve got an apple.
  • Do you have an apple? / Have you got an apple?

1. I have a key. / I’ve got a key.
Do I have a key? / Have I got a key?

2. We have a ball. / We’ve got a ball.
Do we have a ball? / Have we got a ball?

3. Sam has a radio. / Sam’s got a radio.
Does Sam have a radio? / Has Sam got a radio?

4. Lisa has tickets. / Lisa’s got tickets.
Does Lisa have tickets? / Has Lisa got tickets?

5. It has a pool. / It’s got a pool.
Does it have a pool? / Has it got a pool?

6. They have the food. / They’ve got the food.
Do they have the food? / Have they got the food?

7. You have the pictures. / You’ve got the pictures.
Do you have the pictures? / Have you got the pictures?

8. John has a camera. / John’s got a camera.
Does John have a camera? / Has John got a camera?

9. The students have their homework. / The students have got their homework.
Do the students have their homework? / Have the students got their homework?

10. The porter has our suitcases. / The porter has got our suitcases.
Does the porter have our suitcases? / Has the porter got our suitcases?

11. The baby has his bottle. / The baby’s got his bottle.
Does the baby have his bottle? / Has the baby got his bottle?

12. Father has slippers. / Father’s got slippers.
Does Father have slippers? / Has Father got slippers?

13. Mother has the recipe. / Mother’s got the recipe.
Does Mother have the recipe? / Has Mother got the recipe?

14. Jackson has his gym bag. / Jackson’s got his gym bag.
Does Jackson have his gym bag? / Has Jackson got his gym bag?

15. You have your lesson book. You’ve got your lesson book.
Do you have your lesson book? / Have you got your lesson book?

16. It has cable TV. / It’s got cable TV.
Does it have cable TV? / Has it got cable TV?

17. He has a mechanical pencil. / He’s got a mechanical pencil.
Does he have a mechanical pencil? / Has he got a mechanical pencil?

18. Northwestern University has a good football coach. / Northwestern University’s got a good football coach.
Does Northwestern University have a good football coach? / Has Northwestern University got a good football coach?

19. The train has comfortable seats. / The train’s got comfortable seats.
Does the train have comfortable seats? / Has the train got comfortable seats?

20. The building has an elevator. / The building’s got an elevator.
Does the building have an elevator? / Has the building got an elevator?

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Grammar Basics: Unit 9 – “I have” and “I’ve got”

“have” / “have got” is used to indicate possession. In the case of third person singular, “has” / “has got” is used instead. So, we have the following table:

  • I have, I have got ( = I’ve got)
  • you have, you have got ( = you’ve got)
  • we have, we have got ( = we’ve got)
  • they have, they have got ( = they’ve got)
  • he has, he has got ( = he’s got)
  • she has, she has got ( = she’s got)
  • it has, it has got ( = it’s got)

Examples:

  • I have a pen. / I have got a pen. = I’ve got a pen.
  • You have a dog. / You have got a dog. = You’ve got a dog.
  • We have a new car. / We have got a new car. = We’ve got a new car.
  • They have problems. / They have got problems. = They’ve got problems.

The negation is formed this way:

  • have ==> do not have ( = don’t have)
  • have got ==> have not got ( = haven’t got)
  • has ==> does not have ( = doesn’t have)
  • has got ==> has not got ( = hasn’t got)

Examples:

  • I don’t have any money.
  • We don’t have time.
  • They don’t have a clue. ( = They don’t understand at all.)
  • She doesn’t have blue eyes.
  • He doesn’t have pets.

For “have / has,” questions are formed with “Do/Does” and switching the order of subject and verb:

  • I have … ==> Do I have …?
  • you have … ==> Do you have…?
  • we have … ==> Do we have …?
  • they have … ==> Do they have …?

Note that in the third person singular, “has” changes to “have” for the question:

  • he has … ==> Does he have …?
  • she has … ==> Does she have …?
  • it has … ==> Does it have …?

Examples:

  • Do you have a minute? ( = Do you have any time?)
  • Does he have a backpack?
  • Do they have a red car?
  • Does it have a scratch on the driver’s door?

For “have got / has got,” questions are formed by switching the order of “have / has” and subject:

  • I have got … ==> Have I got …?
  • you have got … ==> Have you got …?
  • we have got … ==> Have we got …?
  • they have got … ==> Have they got …?

Here, third person singular keeps “has” for questions:

  • he has got … ==> Has he got …?
  • she has got … ==> Has she got …?
  • it has got … ==> Has she got …?

Examples:

  • Have you got a knife I could borrow?
  • Have they got any milk?
  • Has she got an idea?

These types of questions are “yes or no” questions, and can be answered as seen in the following table. You can use the question word as a clue or prompt for the answer word:

  • Do I have …? ==> Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.
  • Do you have…? ==> Yes, you do. / No, you don’t.
  • Do we have …? ==> Yes, we do. / No, we don’t.
  • Do they have …? ==> Yes, they do. / No, they don’t.

 

 

  • Does he have …? ==> Yes, he does. / No, he doesn’t.
  • Does she have …? ==> Yes, she does. / No, she doesn’t.
  • Does it have …? ==> Yes, it does. / No, it doesn’t.

 

 

  • Have I got …? ==> Yes, I have. / No, I haven’t.
  • Have you got …? ==> Yes, you have. / No, you haven’t.
  • Have we got …? ==> Yes, we have. / No, we haven’t.
  • Have they got …? ==> Yes, they have. / No, they haven’t.

 

 

  • Has he got …? ==> Yes, he has. / No, he hasn’t.
  • Has she got …? ==> Yes, she has. / No, she hasn’t.
  • Has it got …? ==> Yes, it has. / No, it hasn’t.

Exercises: Use the following words as prompts to write a sentence using “have / have got,” using the correct forms of “have/has”. Also write the corresponding question.

Example:

you / apple ==>

  • You have an apple. / You’ve got an apple.
  • Do you have an apple? / Have you got an apple?

1. I / a key

2. we / a ball

3. Sam / a radio

4. Lisa / tickets

5. it / a pool

6. they / the food

7. you / the pictures

8. John / a camera

9. the students / their homework

10. the porter / our suitcases

11. the baby / his bottle

12. Father / slippers

13. Mother / the recipe

14. Jackson / his gym bag

15. you / your lesson book

16. it / cable TV

17. he / a mechanical pencil

18. Northwestern University / a good football coach

19. the train / comfortable seats

20. the building / an elevator

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Education Focus: Snow Days

snow dayMany places in the United States get snow in the winter. If it is very cold, like this year, even states like Texas or Florida can get snow. Sometimes there is so much snow that is it difficult or dangerous to drive. If this happens, schools often declare a “snow day.” When a school has a snow day, classes are canceled for that day, and children don’t have to attend.

How much snow is necessary to get a snow day? It depends. In southern states like Texas or Florida, drivers are not used to driving in snow. Also, most southern towns would probably not have snow plows or other equipment to clear the roads of snow. Consequently, even only a few centimeters of snow would create dangerous driving for most drivers in southern states. Children living in these states would most likely get a snow day if there were only a few centimeters of snow.

Northern states like Minnesota or North Dakota, though, are accustomed to winter driving with lots of snow, so a few centimeters of snow would mean nothing to them. Snow plows come and clear the roads, but sometimes they only put out salt or gravel if it is a minor amount of snow. Children living in these states would probably not get a snow day if there were only a few centimeters of snow. It would have to snow a lot more – maybe 15 cm or so – before the schools would consider granting a snow day. If there is a lot of wind, though, the snow can form big drifts, which would make the roads difficult or dangerous to drive. So if there is drifting snow, children would probably get a snow day.

Sometimes a snow day is declared because the weather is very cold, instead of because of the snow. Some Januarys have several days where the temperature stays below -25 degrees Celsius. Even the high temperature of the day doesn’t get above -20 – that is extremely cold!! In these cases, it is too cold to walk to school, or to wait outside for a school bus to come. So sometimes schools will also cancel classes due to extreme cold.

Of course, most children enjoy playing in the snow and having a day off from school. And you can be sure that if a student hasn’t studied for a test as much as he should, he will fervently hope for a snow day to give him some extra study time!

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Crossword – Basic Vocabulary 3 (Solution)

crossword puzzle solution

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Crossword – Basic Vocabulary 3

crossword puzzle

Across

1. body part

5. Supreme Being

8. used in catching fish

10. extra money left at a restaurant

12. leafy vegetables

14. small city

15. areas where children play

18. must have

19. sack

20. infinitive marker

23. consume

25. opposite of schoolboys

27. negative word

28. preposition

31. type of bank account

33. body part

34. number

35. eat, ate, ____

37. small light in the night sky

38. radio with pictures

40. this comes from a hen

42. chewing candy

43. gone

44. all right

Down

2. place to stay overnight

3. things used to make a place look nicer

4. massage

5. mother’s father or father’s father

6. stop living

7. anyplace

9. abbreviation for 38 A

11. give money for work

13. full of stones

15. bars

16. hot, sunny month

17. opposite of down

21. after tenth

22. afraid

24. I _____, you are, he/she/it is

26. then

27. opposite of yes

29. end

30. a continent

32. opposite of “out of”

33. pretend

36. opposite of bottom

37. dispatch

39. your parents gave you this at birth

41. opposite of come

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Idiom Focus: Animal Idioms 4

Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

cash cow: A cash cow is an idea that is a good way to make money – usually lots of it!

Example:

Lee decided to open up a dry cleaning store. He heard that a cleaner’s would be a cash cow, and he wants to be able to send some extra money home for his parents.

cast pearls before swine: “To cast” means “to throw,” and “swine” means “pigs.” So, “to cast pearls before swine” means to give something valuable or precious to someone who doesn’t or wouldn’t appreciate it. (This expression comes from the Bible, from a saying of Jesus.)

Example:

John doesn’t really enjoy classical music. Playing your violin for him is just casting your pearls before swine.

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Writing Assignment: The Classroom (Solution)

1. Who is standing at the desk in the front of the room?
The teacher is standing at the desk in the front of the room.

2. How many students are in the picture?
There are four students in the picture.

3. Are most of the students sitting or standing?
Most of the students are sitting at their desks.

4. Who is writing on the blackboard?
A girl is writing on the blackboard.

5. Is the girl writing in English?
Yes, the girl is writing in English.

6. Which subject are they learning in this classroom?
They are learning English in this classroom.

7. With what is the girl writing on the chalkboard?
The girl is writing with a piece of chalk on the blackboard.

8. How many blackboards are in the picture?
There are two blackboards in the picture.

9. Where is the clock? What time is it?
The clock is on the wall between the two blackboards. It is about 1:30.

10. Is the teacher standing in the front or the back of the classroom?
The teacher is standing in the front of the classroom.

11. What is the teacher holding in his right hand?
The teacher is holding a pen (or a pencil) in his right hand.

12. What is under the desk on the right hand side?
A wastepaper basket is under the desk on the right hand side.

13. Where is the ink?
The ink is in a bottle on the teacher’s desk.

14. Are the two books on the teacher’s desk opened or closed?
The two books on the teacher’s desk are closed.

15. In which hand is the teacher holding the box?
The teacher is holding the box in his left hand.

16. With what are the students writing on the school desk?
The students are writing with a pen (pencil) on the school desk.

17. Is the girl sitting to the right or the left of the two male students?
The girl is sitting to the right of the two male students.

18. Who is wearing glasses?
The teacher is wearing glasses.

19. What is the girl reading out loud?
The girl is reading a book out loud.

20. Do you like to translate from your mother tongue into English?
Yes, I enjoy translating from my mother tongue into English!

Paragraph: My English Class

Write a paragraph about your English class.

In our English class there are many people. Some are businessmen. Some have their own dry cleaning or nail shop. Some are retired and just want to improve their English. All of them had some English when they were in school, but they realize that they have to study more to be able to talk to their customers.

We practice English in various ways. Sometimes we read a book that is not too difficult, like a children’s book, and then translate it. Sometimes we read aloud to practice our pronunciation. Sometimes we write a letter or a short paragraph, like this exercise. Another good activity is to play a puzzle or a game, to get us thinking in English instead of our mother tongue. Sometimes we watch a TV program or a movie for listening practice. All these different activities help us to understand and use English better.

At the end of the semester, we have a little class party. In the summertime we can go somewhere and have a picnic. Otherwise, we just go out to a restaurant, or have a pizza party in the classroom. It all depends on what the class wants to do. No matter what, we learn English together and have fun doing it!

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Writing Assignment: The Classroom

classroom

Vocabulary

1. pair of glasses
2. in the back
3. in the front
4. desk
5. book
6. textbook
7. box
8. classroom
9. student
10. late
11. English class
12. teacher
13. blackboard
14. white board
15. ink
16. to learn, study
17. to translate
18. in English
19. into English
20. most (of them)
21. subject (of study)
22. open
23. closed
24. clock
25. gladly, like to
26. to write
27. to write on
28. to write to
29. to read out loud
30. to hold

Use the above vocabulary to help you in answering the following questions. Try to write in complete sentences, as much as you can.

1. Who is standing at the desk in the front of the room?

2. How many students are in the picture?

3. Are most of the students sitting or standing?

4. Who is writing on the blackboard?

5. Is the girl writing in English?

6. Which subject are they learning in this classroom?

7. With what is the girl writing on the chalkboard?

8. How many blackboards are in the picture?

9. Where is the clock? What time is it?

10. Is the teacher standing in the front or the back of the classroom?

11. What is the teacher holding in his right hand?

12. What is under the desk on the right hand side?

13. Where is the ink?

14. Are the two books on the teacher’s desk opened or closed?

15. In which hand is the teacher holding the box?

16. With what are the students writing on the school desk?

17. Is the girl sitting to the right or the left of the two male students?

18. Who is wearing glasses?

19. What is the girl reading out loud?

20. Do you like to translate from your mother tongue into English?

Paragraph: My English Class

Write a paragraph about your English class.

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