“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” Entry 3 Group 2 – class notes – 27th January 2016

January 26, 2016March 22, 2016Posted in Entry 3Leave a comment

The meaning of an idiom is different from the actual meaning of the words used. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is a proverb. Proverbs are old but familiar sayings that usually give advice. Both idioms and proverbs are part of our daily speech.

Objectives

National proverbs and idioms in other languages
Progress test
Homework
Used to – what did you used to do
Abdulmonem’s presentation on the 20th century and listening to Tina Charles for the first time
So that and ‘so’.

So and so that

Alice got up at 5:00 A.M., so that she could drive her son to school.
Alice got up at 5:00 A.M., so she could drive her son to school.

If you are wondering about the difference between the two sentences, the first states Alice’s reason for waking up early, while the second implies that she was successful in her intention.

This is not a distinction always observed by native speakers.

It is confusing, because “so” (when used as a conjunction) can mean “therefore” or can be an abbreviated form of “so that” (meaning “in order that.”) In this way “so” has two distinct but similar meanings.

Subjectively I would say that using “so” in place of “so that” sounds a little informal and maybe a tiny bit childish, but is fine in conversational contexts.

http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/295.html

use of mightn’t!

lots of conversation in the teachers’ staff room about this. Usually nobody says mightn’t or mayn’t.

Today’s words:

idioms:

Ruth’s Twi idioms

1. Russian	Слон в посудной лавке	An elephant in china shop.
2. Arabic	العصفورة قالت لي إنك ناوي تسافر مصر.	A little bird told me
3. Tunisian Arabic	إذا حمرت في العشية خوذ زادك وتهيأـ إذا حمرت في الصباح حط زادك وارتاح	Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning
4. Arabic	العبرة بالأعمال وليست بالأقوال	Actions speak louder than words
5. Arabic	اضرب عصفورين بحجر	Kill two birds with one stone
6. Czech/Slovak	Chodiť okolo horúcej kaše	to walk around hot porridge
7. Russian	Лучше синица в руках, чем журавль в небе	A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
8. Czech	Bruslit na tenkém ledu	to be on thin ice
9. Polish	Leje zabami / jak z cebra	It’s raining frogs
10. Urdu	دنيا كتنى چهوٹى ہے	It’s a small world
11. Latvian	Visi nav mājās	nobody’s home
12. Iran	سنگ غلطان خزه.	A rolling stone gathers no moss.
13. Tigrinya	Mealtn kelbe key Tsewaekayomyme Tsu	Time and the dog come without being called

a bull in a china shop

a flea

an octopus

hobby noun [C]

“I’m only pulling your leg!” – Level 2 Group 1 – class notes – 25th January 2016

January 25, 2016July 6, 2016Posted in Level 2Leave a comment

Objectives:

Speaking exam review
Body idioms quiz
Reading exam-style test.
Individual Learner Performance interview times – book yourself in now!
Feedback on the academic year so far.

Body idioms notes:

When you are alone and have problems it’s difficult if you don’t have a shoulder to cry on.
It’s hard to keep a straight face when someone falls over in the street. You know you’re not supposed to laugh but it’s really hard to stop yourself!
When he saw a ghost it was a hair-raising experience. When I went on the rollercoaster it was hair-raising.
The teacher heard the students talking at the back of the class but he turned a blind eye and said nothing.
I offered the Queen some of my chips but she turned her nose up at them. They weren’t good enough for her. I offered him a lift on the back of my bike, but he turned his nose up at the idea saying he would rather walk. It wasn’t good enough for him!
The cake, which I was eating, was mouth-watering.
Up to your neck in it. There is so much work to do this month, I’m up to my neck in it. I feel like I’m drowning in paperwork!
Get your head around it. Learning idioms is really difficult, I can’t seem to get my head round them. (they don’t make any sense!)
Did you watch the news last night? The film about the starving children was heart-rending.
I was so tense thinking about the exam. I had butterflies in my stomach all morning.
Roger Federer beat Nadal hands down. It was a really easy victory.
I’m not very good at knitting. I’m all fingers and thumbs with things like that.
I kept telling Mahmoud that he had probably failed his exam, but it wasn’t true, I was only pulling his leg.
I said something bad to my mother-in-law. I said I didn’t like her Yorkshire puddings and she’s really proud of them. I think I’ve really put my foot in it. She’ll never like me now.

Today’s words:

contempt noun [U] (NO RESPECT)

C2 a strong feeling of disliking and having no respect for someone or something:At school she had complete contemptfor all her teachers.You should treat those remarks withthe contempt that they deserve.She’s beneath contempt (= I have no respect for her)!

What unusual foods have you tried? Entry 3 Group 2 Class notes 20th January 2016

January 20, 2016March 30, 2016Posted in Entry 3Leave a comment

Objectives

Make the questions.
Unusual foods
Blockbusters game revision: might, might not, will, may
Entry 3 progress Test

making Sushi

chickpeas

Mexican burritos

falafel

today’s words:

sushi noun [U]

What is the future of our cities? Level 2 Group 1 class notes 18th January 2016

January 18, 2016July 6, 2016Posted in Level 2Leave a comment

Objectives

Exam practice
Intensifying adverbs
“Being alone”
“Why should we ever leave the house nowadays?”
What is the future of our city centres?

New words:

Conductor:

conduct verb (ORGANIZE)

B2 [T] to organize and perform a particular activity:We are conducting a survey to find out what our customers think of their local bus service.The experiments were conducted by scientists in New York.

greatly adverb

UK US /ˈɡreɪt.li/

B2 very much, used especially to show how much you feel or experience something:I greatly regret not having told the truth.Her piano playing has greatly improved/has improved greatly.

thoroughly adverb (VERY MUCH)

B2 completely, very much:I thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

More examples

thoroughly adverb (CAREFULLY)

B2 in a detailed and careful way:We went through the report thoroughly but couldn’t find the information anywhere.

freely adverb (NOT LIMITED)

B2 without being controlled or limited:For the first time in months she could move freely.Exotic foods are freely available in supermarkets.She freely (= willingly) admits that she’s not as fast a runner as she used to be.We encourage the victims to talk freely (= talk a lot and honestly) about their experiences.

More examples

freely adverb (ABLE TO MOVE EASILY)

› in a way that is not fixed or joined to anything, so able to move easily:Remember to apply plenty of oil so that the wheel can rotate freely.

alienation noun [U] (SEPARATION)

› the feeling that you have no connection with the people around you:Depressed people frequently feel a sense of alienation from those around them.

alienation noun [U] (LOSS OF SUPPORT)

› the act of making someone stop supporting and agreeing with you:This short-sighted alienation of their own supporters may lose them the election.

entirely adverb

B2 completely:I admit it was entirely my fault.The company is run almost entirely by middle-aged men.

sincerely adverb

› honestly and without pretending or lying:I’m sincerely grateful.(yours) sincerely B1 (US also Sincerely yours)› used to end a formal letter that is sent to a particular person

wall-to-wall adjective [usually before noun]