Idioms:
1- a race against time
2- a rain check
3- rack one's brains
4- raise one's voice to (someone)
5- call (someone) names
6- take attendance
7- the last word
8- the last person
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Let / Make / Have / Get
The following is a mini-tutorial on the use of the causative verbs "let," "make," "have," and "get." After you have studied the tutorial, complete the associated exercises. If you already know how to use these verbs, you can skip the explanation and go directly to the exercises.
Let
FORM
let + PERSON + VERB
USE
This construction means "to allow someone to do something."
EXAMPLES:
John let me drive his new car.
Will your parents let you go to the party?
I don't know if my boss will let me take the day off.
Make
FORM
make + PERSON + VERB
USE
This construction means "to force someone to do something."
EXAMPLES:
My teacher made me apologize for what I had said.
Did somebody make you wear that ugly hat?
She made her children do their homework.
Have
FORM
have + PERSON + VERB
USE
This construction means "to give someone the responsibility to do something."
EXAMPLES:
Dr. Smith had his nurse take the patient's temperature.
Please have your secretary fax me the information.
I had the mechanic check the brakes.
Get
FORM
get + PERSON + to + VERB
USE
This construction usually means "to convince to do something" or "to trick someone into doing something."
EXAMPLES:
Susie got her son to take the medicine even though it tasted terrible.
How can parents get their children to read more?
The government TV commercials are trying to get people to stop smoking.
Get vs. Have
Sometimes "get someone to do something" is interchangeable with "have someone do something," but these expressions do not mean exactly the same thing.
EXAMPLES:
I got the mechanic to check my brakes.
At first the mechanic didn't think it was necessary, but I convinced him to check the brakes.
I had the mechanic check my brakes.
I asked the mechanic to check the brakes.
-------
1. Sam really wanted a dog, but his parents wouldn't let him have a pet.
2. I can't believe she made you look at her vacation pictures again last night. We have to look at those stupid pictures every time we go to her house.
3. I don't know how you convince your children to clean up their rooms. I couldn't get my children to clean up their rooms if my life depended on it.
4. Professor Yu had each of her students write an essay describing their future goals in life.
5. Professor Yu lets her students use a dictionary while they were taking the test.
6. Debbie's husband hates the opera. But after days of nagging, she finally got him to go see the new production of La Boheme.
7. Sally made me take off my shoes before I went into her house. She said she wanted to keep the carpet clean.
8. Rebecca Smith requested a copy of that expense report, so I had the courier take one over to her last week.
9. Diane thinks television is a waste of time, so she won't let her children watch TV.
10. Susie had her son take out the trash before he went to the park to play soccer.
11. Marcus let me drive his new BMW. I couldn't believe how quickly it picked up speed.
12. How did you get the doctor to make a house call? I haven't heard of a doctor actually going to a patient's house in years.
13. My boss makes me get him coffee, pick up his dry cleaning and buy presents for his wife. He can't do anything by himself!
14. Tommy didn't want to go to his cousin's birthday party, but his mom made him go.
15. I can't believe the zoo keeper let you feed the snake. That was so cool!
16. The contract was very detailed, and it was essential that the wording be absolutely correct. Therefore, I had the translator recheck his work several times to make sure there would be no misunderstandings.
17. Cheryl didn't want to wash her car, so with a little smooth talk she got her boyfriend to wash it for her.
18. If you ask me nicely, I'll let you lick the bowl after I make the cookies.
19. Jack found a fly floating in his coffee, so he had the waiter bring him a new cup.
20. The news coverage of the recent tornado was incredibly moving. The interview with the little boy who lost his family in the tragedy made everyone cry.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Idioms:
1- A wolf in sheep's clothing:is a dangerous person pretending to be harmless
I want you to stay away from that boy. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing.
I do not trust the salespeople at that store. They are all wolves in sheep's clothing.
She may look cute, but that girl is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
2-Come into fashion become fashionable
Recently in some areas the mini-skirt has come into fashion again.
3-Catch one's eye to interrupt captiously while speaking.
to attract one's notice.
4-Eyes are bigger than one's stomatchsomething that you say when someone has taken more food than they can eat.
I can't finish this piece of cake. I'm afraid my eyes were bigger than my stomach as usual.
5-Chew the fatto have a long friendly conversation with someone.
We spent the evening watching the TV and chewing the fat.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Lessons we learn from geese! :
Fact 1.
As each goose flaps its wings it creates an ‘Uplift’ for the other birds that follow. By flying in a ‘V’ formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.
Lesson :
People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are travelling on the thrust of one and another.
Fact 2.
When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.
Lesson :
If we have as much sense as a goose we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept help and give help to others.
Fact 3.
When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position.
Lesson :
It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing the leadership. As with geese, people are interdependant on each other’s skills, capabilities and unique arrangements of gifts, talents and resources.
Fact 4.
The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
Lesson :
We need to make sure honking is encouraging, In groups where there is encouragement, the production is much greater.
Fact 5.
When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese drop down out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it.
They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then they launch out with another formation or catch up with their flock.
Lesson :
If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Six ghost:Mrs Wood Comes Home:
Bill goes to stay with friends Jack and Annie. A neighbour, Mrs
Wood, who lives in the house opposite, has gone to Australia
to spend Christmas with her son. It is clear that Jack and
Annie have some disagreement about Mrs Wood and that
this is affecting their relationship. Even though Annie was kind
to her, Mrs Wood hated Jack and vowed to force them out of
their house. When Bill goes to bed on the first night he thinks
he sees Mrs Wood looking out of one her upstairs windows
Soon after Bill returns home from his holiday, Jack arrives
with terrible news. His wife Annie is dead. The night before
there was a knock on their door. Annie opened it and found
Mrs Wood there. She died of shock because in fact Mrs Wood
died in Australia some time before.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Heaven and Hell : The real diffrance:
A man spoke with the Lord about heaven and hell.
The Lord said to the man, "Come, I will show you hell." They entered a room where a group of people sat around a huge pot of stew. Everyone was famished, desperate and starving. Each held a spoon that reached the pot, but each spoon had a handle so much longer than their own arm that it could not be used to get the stew into their own mouths. The suffering was terrible.
"Come, now I will show you heaven," the Lord said after a while. They entered another room, identical to the first - the pot of stew, the group of people, the same long-handled spoons. But there everyone was happy and well-nourished.
"I don't understand," said the man. "Why are they happy here when they were miserable in the other room and everything was the same?"
The Lord smiled. "Ah, it is simple," he said. "Here they have learned to feed each other."
Review: Future Times:
The Future Tenses
The future can be indicated in several different ways in English. It is
often created with the use of auxiliaries: "She will be a student.",
"She is going to drive a new car."
English can even create the future by using the simple present (used for
timetables,programs etc.), "The train arrives at 10pm" or the present
progressive (used for future plans), "He is collecting his mother from the
station tonight."
Simple Future (uses will or shall or going to + base form)
| Simple Future (Some uncertainty) | Decide to do something at the time of speaking | I think I'll do my English homework tonight. |
| Simple Future (Certain) | Have already decided or arranged to do something | I am going to study English next Saturday. |
Future Progressive/Continous (uses will be, shall be or going to be +-ing
form)
| Future Progressive (Some uncertainty) | The English lesson should begin at 7.30 and end at 9.15, so the person should be studying at 7.30 (but the lesson might start late). | I will be starting my English lesson at 7.30 pm. |
| Future Progressive (Certain) | The English lesson begins at 7.30 and ends at 9.15, so he's certain to be studying when his friend arrives at 8.00 | I am going to be studying English when my friends arrive at 9.00 pm. |
Future Perfect Simple (uses will have or shall have + past
participle)
| Future Perfect Simple | Used to say something will already be complete by a time. | I will have already done my English homework by the time I eat dinner on Saturday. |
Future Perfect Progressive/Continuous (uses will have been or shall have
been + -ing form)
| Future Perfect Progressive | Used to say how long something will have been happening in the future by a certain time. | I will have been studying English for 30 minutes when my friends arrive. |
six ghost stories: Room 7
A driver takes his car to be repaired at a village garage and stays the night in the hotel there. The only vacant room in the hotel is Room 7 which the landlord seems reluctant to let the visitor sleep in. During the night the visitor is woken by apresence and sees an old man sitting in a chair in his room.The old man says something which the visitor doesn’tunderstand. In the morning, before he leaves he finds out that the last person to sleep in Room 7 was the landlord’s father.He died there, probably frightened to death. There have always been rumours that Room 7 is haunted.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
My Father When I Was....:
My Father When I was: Four years old: My daddy can do anything.
When I was: Five years old: My daddy knows a whole lot.
When I was: Six years old: My dad is smarter than your dad.
When I was: Eight years old: My dad doesn't know exactly everything.
When I was: 10 years old: In the olden days, when my dad grew up, things were sure different.
When I was: 12 years old: Oh, well, naturally, Dad doesn't know anything about that. He is too old to remember his childhood.
When I was: 14 years old: Don't pay any attention to my dad. He is so old-fashioned.
When I was: 21 years old: Him? My Lord, he's hopelessly out of date.
When I was: 25 years old: Dad knows about it, but then he should, because he has been around so long.
When I was: 30 years old: Maybe we should ask Dad what he thinks. After all, he's had a lot of experience.
When I was: 35 years old: I'm not doing a single thing until I talk to Dad.
When I was: 40 years old: I wonder how Dad would have handled it. He was so wise.
When I was: 50 years old: I'd give anything if Dad were here now so I could talk this over with him. Too bad I didn't appreciate how smart he was. I could have learned a lot from him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
