To memorise these vocabulary items I will use them at least 3 times this week when speaking to my foreign friends:
1. To swamp
2. to flesh out
3. rain check
4. goose egg
5. meat-and-potatoes issues
6. Right on the money!
Right on cue
7. can't hold a candle to smb/sth
8. sell sb (oneself) short
9. to be quite in line with smth
10. bleeding edge technology
11. plain-spoken
12. cheap shot (verbal)
13. crotchety
14. ankle-biter (AuE)
15. fly off the handle
16. duck soup
17. do sth until you're blue in the face
18. be up to scratch
19. bounce off
20. send someone to coventry
21. a large coterie of friends and family
22. three sheets to the wind
23. outsource
Showing posts with label Wordbuilder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wordbuilder. Show all posts
The Verb: to bear
Just before clicking this link, be sure you know what these expressions mean:
to bear up - to behave in a brave way in a very sad or difficult situation
to bear down on somebody - to move quickly towards someone in a determined and threatening way e.g. a storm bearing down on the island
to bear fruit - to have a successful result
to bear out - to show that something is true or that someone is telling the truth
e.g. Evidence bears out the idea that students learn best in small groups.
to have no bearing on - to be relevant/not relevant to something, or to have an influence/no influence on it
to bear comparison - to be suitable or good enough to be examined, compared, repeated etc without failing or being wrong:
to bear up - to behave in a brave way in a very sad or difficult situation
to bear down on somebody - to move quickly towards someone in a determined and threatening way e.g. a storm bearing down on the island
to bear fruit - to have a successful result
to bear out - to show that something is true or that someone is telling the truth
e.g. Evidence bears out the idea that students learn best in small groups.
to have no bearing on - to be relevant/not relevant to something, or to have an influence/no influence on it
to bear comparison - to be suitable or good enough to be examined, compared, repeated etc without failing or being wrong:
Is “proven” innocent or guilty?
Is “proven” innocent or guilty?: "
Q: What do you think about “proven” as a past participle? A lot of people insist that it’s an adjective and “proved” is the participle. However, the participial use of “proven” was certainly accepted in the past (“innocent until proven guilty”).
A: Both “proved” and “proven” are standard English, whether as an adjective or as the past participle of “prove.” The choice is a matter of preference rather than right or wrong.
In American English, “proven” is clearly more common as the adjective before a noun: “This is a proven remedy” … “She’s considered a proven talent.”
As for the past participle, until relatively recently “proved” was more common: “It has been proved” … “She had proved unworthy” … “I have proved that my theory works.”
But “proven” has made rapid gains as a past participle and is now about even with “proved” as the American preference.
As you point out, “proven” has a long history as a past participle in certain legal language: “A person is innocent until proven guilty” … “The verdict was not proven.”
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage says “proven” began life as the past participle of preven, the usual Middle English spelling of the word we now spell as “prove.”
“Proven survived in and descends to us from Scottish English,” the usage guide adds. “It apparently first established itself in legal use and has been slowly working its way into literary and general use.”
As for the choice between “proved” or “proven,” Merriam-Webster’s says: “Both forms are standard now.”
The Oxford English Dictionary also notes that the use of “proven” as both a participle and as an adjective originated in Scottish English.
And in Scottish law, the OED says, “the verdict ‘Not proven’ is admitted, besides ‘Guilty’ and ‘Not guilty,’ in criminal trials.”
A usage note in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.) says: “Surveys made some 50 or 60 years ago indicated that proved was about four times as frequent as proven. But our evidence from the last 30 or 35 years shows this no longer to be the case.”
“As a past participle proven is now about as frequent as proved in all contexts,” the usage note adds. “As an attributive adjective (‘proved or proven gas reserves’) proven is much more common than proved.”
Case closed!
Q: What do you think about “proven” as a past participle? A lot of people insist that it’s an adjective and “proved” is the participle. However, the participial use of “proven” was certainly accepted in the past (“innocent until proven guilty”).
A: Both “proved” and “proven” are standard English, whether as an adjective or as the past participle of “prove.” The choice is a matter of preference rather than right or wrong.
In American English, “proven” is clearly more common as the adjective before a noun: “This is a proven remedy” … “She’s considered a proven talent.”
As for the past participle, until relatively recently “proved” was more common: “It has been proved” … “She had proved unworthy” … “I have proved that my theory works.”
But “proven” has made rapid gains as a past participle and is now about even with “proved” as the American preference.
As you point out, “proven” has a long history as a past participle in certain legal language: “A person is innocent until proven guilty” … “The verdict was not proven.”
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage says “proven” began life as the past participle of preven, the usual Middle English spelling of the word we now spell as “prove.”
“Proven survived in and descends to us from Scottish English,” the usage guide adds. “It apparently first established itself in legal use and has been slowly working its way into literary and general use.”
As for the choice between “proved” or “proven,” Merriam-Webster’s says: “Both forms are standard now.”
The Oxford English Dictionary also notes that the use of “proven” as both a participle and as an adjective originated in Scottish English.
And in Scottish law, the OED says, “the verdict ‘Not proven’ is admitted, besides ‘Guilty’ and ‘Not guilty,’ in criminal trials.”
A usage note in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.) says: “Surveys made some 50 or 60 years ago indicated that proved was about four times as frequent as proven. But our evidence from the last 30 or 35 years shows this no longer to be the case.”
“As a past participle proven is now about as frequent as proved in all contexts,” the usage note adds. “As an attributive adjective (‘proved or proven gas reserves’) proven is much more common than proved.”
Case closed!
Persuasive/argumentative essay - Plan
Image via WikipediaIn this post I'd like to dwell on the persuasive/argumentative essay which I find most interesting of all, because this type challenges the person's capacity to reason ... in other words, to convey their ideas in quite a sensible, sound and logical way.
The typical plan of such an essay includes the following stages:
1. Introduction (state the problem)
In the first paragraph we introduce the topic. In articles and compositions, we may use any of the following techniques to make the beginning more interesting to the reader:
- a reference to an imaginary scene or situation
- addressing the reader directly
- a rhetorical question
- a quotation
2. Arguments “for”
3. Arguments “against”
The main body usually consists of two paragraphs. One presents the points for the issue, along with our justifications or examples. The other presents the points against the issue with supporting sentences. (When we write about the pros and cons of an issue, we consider a topic from opposing points of view, outlining the advantages and disadvantages.)
4. Conclusion
In the final paragraph we give our opinion and/or a balanced summary of the topic. To make the ending of the composition more effective, we can use one of the following techniques:
- state a personal opinion
- give the reader something to consider
- use a quotation or rhetorical question
NB!!! 1) Do not include opinion words (I believe, I think, etc) in the introduction or the main body of compositions, reports and articles.
2)Pros and cons can be found in articles, compositions, reports or letters. The style of writing is usually semi-formal or formal.
2)Pros and cons can be found in articles, compositions, reports or letters. The style of writing is usually semi-formal or formal.
Take - Collocations
Definition Cards (take):
it takes - Paraphrase the sentence: She knows everything to succeed in this business. (She's got what it takes.)
it took us - We spent 3 long ours sitting in the bus before we reached our destination. (It took us 3 hours to reach our destination by bus)
take notes - Shall I write anything down? (Shall I take notes? Do I need to take notes?)
take a photo of - When was the last time you used your camera? (When did you last take photos?)
take it seriously - There's no reason to think it's very important. (There's no reason to take it seriously.)
take after - She's the spitting image of her father. (She takes after her father ... in looks)
take off - I've never flown a plane before. Some people say it's scary when it starts to go up. (Some people say it's scary when it's taking off.)
take off - It's so hot in here. I think I don't need my jacket any more. (I think I'd better take it off.)
take place - When did it happen? (When did it take place?)
take your time - Why are you always in a hurry, man? (Take your time, man.)
take care of - Can you deal with that customer over there? He seems interested in buying that Ferrarri.(Can you take care of that customer over there?)
take part - The teacher made it clear that everyone should speak during the discussion. (The teacher explained that everyone should take part in the discussion.)
take a seat - In Russia we say "there's no truth in the feet, so you'd better sit down." (so you'd better take a seat)
take up - I started smoking when I was at school. (I took up smoking when I was at school.)
it takes - Paraphrase the sentence: She knows everything to succeed in this business. (She's got what it takes.)
it took us - We spent 3 long ours sitting in the bus before we reached our destination. (It took us 3 hours to reach our destination by bus)
take notes - Shall I write anything down? (Shall I take notes? Do I need to take notes?)
take a photo of - When was the last time you used your camera? (When did you last take photos?)
take it seriously - There's no reason to think it's very important. (There's no reason to take it seriously.)
take after - She's the spitting image of her father. (She takes after her father ... in looks)
take off - I've never flown a plane before. Some people say it's scary when it starts to go up. (Some people say it's scary when it's taking off.)
take off - It's so hot in here. I think I don't need my jacket any more. (I think I'd better take it off.)
take place - When did it happen? (When did it take place?)
take your time - Why are you always in a hurry, man? (Take your time, man.)
take care of - Can you deal with that customer over there? He seems interested in buying that Ferrarri.(Can you take care of that customer over there?)
take part - The teacher made it clear that everyone should speak during the discussion. (The teacher explained that everyone should take part in the discussion.)
take a seat - In Russia we say "there's no truth in the feet, so you'd better sit down." (so you'd better take a seat)
take up - I started smoking when I was at school. (I took up smoking when I was at school.)
Collective Nouns
List of Collective Nouns
The most-effective teachers are able to use humor in the classroom. Chapter 3 presents twenty-five ways to do that. Activity #21 suggests using collective nouns. If you want examples to show participants, here’s an irresistible collection of traditional and more-imaginative forms:An agenda of tasks A chattering of choughs A cry of hounds
An armada of ships A chorus of angels A culture of bacteria
An army of ants A class of students A deceit of lapwings
An army of caterpillars A cloud of gnats A descent of woodpeckers
An army of frogs A clowder of cats A dissimulation of birds
An audit of bookkeepers A cluster of grasshoppers A division of soldiers
An aurora of polar bears A clutch of chicks A donut of data
A balance of accountants A clutch of eggs A down of hares
A bale of turtles A clutter of cats A draught of fish
A band of gorillas A collective of nouns A dray of squirrels
A band of jays A colony of ants A drift of swine
A bank of monitors A colony of bats A drove of cattle
A barren of mules A colony of beavers A duel of doves
A bed of clams A colony of gulls An exaltation of larks
A bed of snakes A colony of penguins A field of racehorses
A belt of asteroids A colony of rats A fistful of dollars
A bevy of swans A company of parrots A flange of baboons
A blessing of unicorns A company of soldiers A fleet of ships
A bouquet of pheasants A conflagration of arsonists A flight of cormorants
A brace of grouse A congregation of plovers A flight of goshawks
A brigade of soldiers A congress of baboons A flight of swallows
A brood of hens A conspiracy of ravens A flink of cows
A bunch of things A constellation of satellites A flock of sheep
A bury of conies A convocation of eagles A flock of tourists
A business of ferrets A cover of coots A flotilla of ships
A business of flies A covey of grouse A gaggle of geese
A cast of actors A covey of partridges A galaxy of stars
A cast of falcons A covey of pheasants A galaxy of starlets
A cast of hawks A covey of quail A gam of whales
A cavalcade of horsemen A cowardice of curs A gang of elk
A chain of islands A crash of rhinoceroses A gang of hoodlums
A charm of finches A crowd of onlookers A geek of engineers
“Loath” and “Loathe”
“Loath” and “Loathe”: "
Paul Russell writes:
I am loath to admit, or maybe loathe to admit, that I always thought the correct expression was “loathed to admit”
Paul Russell writes:
I am loath to admit, or maybe loathe to admit, that I always thought the correct expression was “loathed to admit”
But having Googled, I find the “loath” version scores about 1.1m pages,”loathe” around 55,000 with “loathed” in a lowly last place at 32,000.The forms loath, loathe, and loathed are not interchangeable.
Please can you tell me which is correct, although I suspect Google has already answered my question.
Marriage
Marriage: "
"
| A boon companion | An open marriage The blushing bride |
| Just married | Till death do us part |
IN A NUTSHELL
If I may venture my opinion, when all is said and done, it would ill become me to suggest that I should come down like a ton of bricks, as large as life and twice as natural, and make a mountain out of a molehill on this issue.
From time immemorial, in point of fact, the object of the exercise, as sure as eggs are eggs, has been, first and foremost, to take the bull by the horns and spell it out loud and clear. At the end of the day, the point
of the exercise is to tell it like it is, lay it on the line, put it on the table – putting it in a nutshell, drop a bombshell and get down to the nitty-gritty, the bottom line. I think I can honestly say, without fear or favor, that I have left no stone unturned, kept my nose firmly to the grindstone, and stuck to my last, lock stock and barrel, hook
line and sinker. This is not to beat about the bush or upset the apple-cart, but to give the green light to the calm before the storm, to hit the nail on the head, to bite the bullet, and thus at the drop of a hat to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.That’s it.
Take it or leave it. On your own head be it. All good things must come to an end. I must love you and leave you. I kid you not. Don’t call us, we’ll cal you. And I don’t mean maybe.
From time immemorial, in point of fact, the object of the exercise, as sure as eggs are eggs, has been, first and foremost, to take the bull by the horns and spell it out loud and clear. At the end of the day, the point
of the exercise is to tell it like it is, lay it on the line, put it on the table – putting it in a nutshell, drop a bombshell and get down to the nitty-gritty, the bottom line. I think I can honestly say, without fear or favor, that I have left no stone unturned, kept my nose firmly to the grindstone, and stuck to my last, lock stock and barrel, hook
line and sinker. This is not to beat about the bush or upset the apple-cart, but to give the green light to the calm before the storm, to hit the nail on the head, to bite the bullet, and thus at the drop of a hat to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.That’s it.
Take it or leave it. On your own head be it. All good things must come to an end. I must love you and leave you. I kid you not. Don’t call us, we’ll cal you. And I don’t mean maybe.
Expressing Oneself
Read this man's speech. See how soon you can tell what he is talking about. In it he includes over fifty variations on the words say and speak. See how many of them you can incorporate into your own use of English.
'Ladies and Gentlemen!I hope you will excuse me for butting into your conversations in this way. I know nobody likes being interrupted at such a time, but I have been asked to say a few words, make a speech if you like, on this extra-special occasion. And may I say first what a pleasure and honour it is to have the opportunity to address you like this, this afternoon.
You know, ever since you first hinted to me that something of this sort might be on the cards, I have been debating with myself constantly as to how I could best express the sentiments I want to convey to you, here, this afternoon. And then when you actually broke the news and announced a date, I began to consult friends and acquaintances who have been in this position, discussing the subject with them at length and in detail.
I can reveal today, however, that the problems of phrasing my message have not been solved. I suppose if I were an actor, I could recite a relevant speech of Shakespeare's. Were I a priest, I might preach to you, but I fear it would be a poor sermon. As a politician, I could read out a prepared statement and then go on repeating 'No comment'. If you were a class of students, I might give you a lecture. Were you secretaries, I could dictate what I have to say. If we had more time, we could chatter and gossip together for hours. But you and I are none of these things, so I shall have to put my message across in more ordinary terms. I suppose I could simply declare that this is one of the happiest days of my life and claim that I never thought I could be as happy as I am today. Or I could just state a few useless facts and figures and leave it at that. I could, on the other hand, refer to what great men — and women — have said or written on this theme, and just quote a few famous lines. I might also mention my own experience, reminisce a little, recount a few anecdotes, tell a few stories and make some significant comment on young people today.
Standing here, I can assure you, my main fear is not that I shall 'dry up' -1 have already uttered too many words on this theme to be at a loss for words now — but that I shall, in a rash moment, blurt out what I have to say, gabble away for a few seconds and leave too much unsaid, unspoken. Then again, while I stand here thinking aloud, arguing with myself, contradicting myself perhaps, you will no doubt be thinking, 'Why's the old man rambling on like this without getting to the point?' *Why doesn't he just come out with it?' you'll be saying. 'Spit it out!' I hear you cry.
Well, time marches on, and I can see that you have no need of explanations or illustrations from me; no account of my own life is required, no descriptions or recommendations. I shall not bother to sum up what I have said so far. All I should like to add on this — how shall I put it? - extra-special occasion is: I hope you'll both be very happy.'
Reacting to events
Read through the following texts, noting the rather strong idiomatic language we can use to describe our reactions to slightly unusual events.
Some moments from our family scrap-book, when we were all:
1 surprised.
... We all got the shock of our lives last Christmas. We were sitting round the fire, forcing third helpings of Christmas cake into our mouths, when the doorbell rang. It made everybody jump. Auntie Jane nearly jumped out of her skin. I was pretty startled myself, I must admit. Anyway, there at the door - believe it or not - was Uncle Mac, with an armful of presents. (It was the first time in living memory that he had ever given anything to anybody.) Everyone caught their breath when they saw him. No-one could really believe their eyes. Poor Aunt Flossie actually fainted, and Uncle Bill kept blinking, as if he had seen a ghost. And Granny, who had been talking non-stop since breakfast, was absolutely speechless. I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head. I reckon you could have knocked all of us over with a feather.
2 emotional.
... I looked across and saw that tears were already trickling down Mum's cheeks. I must confess a lump had come to my throat, and I was having to swallow hard. When the priest started speaking, Julia burst out crying, and that was the signal for Mum to break down; she was completely overcome. By this time tears were rolling down several faces — including Dad's - and I had a horrible feeling that I was going to burst into tears. The priest's few words were very touching, I think he was almost moved to tears himself. I'm not surprised. They made such a lovely couple and Maggie looked great in white.
З angry.
... I think it was Dad's side of the family that started it, when Uncle Mac started calling Uncle Bill names. Auntie Jane took offence immediately and then Granny joined in. She made Aunt Flossie lose her temper and soon after that Dad blew his top. That led to Mum going berserk — I've never seen her so livid. It wasn't long before Maggie, for some reason, started insulting Uncle Tom and then it was his turn to see red; he really went mad - 'furious' isn't the word for it. It was about then that Grandad, who had obviously been seething for some time, hit the roof. Things quietened down a bit after that and Granny dealt the next hand of cards.
4 afraid.
... Well, naturally most of us were scared stiff. Only Maggie kept cool throughout. Mum went as white as a sheet and even Dad panicked a bit. Auntie Jane's hair stood on end and Uncle Bill ran a mile. I must confess that my heart missed a beat or two. I mean, it's not every day that a tax inspector comes to your front door, is it? All the time he was with us, Uncle Mac was twitching as if he had an army of ants inside his shirt collar. Whenever the phrase 'failure to declare earned income' came up, Aunt Flossie winced and Mac's hand started shaking so much he couldn't light his pipe. It was obvious that Granny was trembling too when she tried to pick her cup of tea up - three times. Everyone shuddered visibly when the man said he would be back — everyone except Maggie, that is. She didn't flinch once, didn't turn a hair. She's either a very good actress or extremely honest.
[5] embarrassed.
... I could see that Julia was dying of embarrassment - not surprisingly, in the circumstances. I bet the incident is still on her conscience. Anyway, I could feel that I was blushing, and the other chap was as red as a beetroot. Julia had a terribly guilty look in her eye, or rather, she had guilt written all over her face. She started stammering something about feeling tired and having come up for a rest. I didn't know where to put myself, I can tell you. I've never felt so small in all my life; about two foot tall, that's how I felt. I stood there for a few seconds hoping a hole would open up in the floor and swallow me. In the end I just gulped and backed out of the room.
[б] amused.
... Well, everyone burst out laughing, of course. Uncle Bill laughed his head off, and Auntie Jane nearly died laughing. And you should have seen Granny; she was in hysterics. Even Uncle Mac couldn't help laughing when he realized what the cause of their laughter was. The vicar was the only one who didn't see the funny side of things; completely straight-faced, stony-faced he was. Granny was still hysterical long after Uncle Mac had turned round, chuckling to himself, and put the matter straight.
After a little thought, tell a partner or write about a memorably embarrassing, frightening or funny experience you have had.
Tell your partner or write the plot of a horror film you have enjoyed and stillremember, or a comedy that amused you, or a thriller that kept you on the edge of your seat. Tell them about how you felt while you were watching it.
Sounds people make
In the following passages, you will meet about fifty of the noises we humans make, many of them without producing words. Read the passages and then do the exercises that follow.
1. Read the passage and decide whose thoughts are being described.
I'm awake, lying here moaning, and northing's happening at all. Oh well, better start crying properly. Still no reaction. Right, they've asked for it. Here we go with a real scream. Ah, now I hear something next door. Must go on sobbing, so they realise it's serious. Here she comes, muttering to herself. Why is it always her? Never him? Ah, a bottle. Excuse me, but it's difficult to suck a bottle without making sucking noises, you know. Oh no. I've got hiccups again. Sometimes I seem to spend half my day hiccupping. Over the shoulder I go again. Oh dear, a burp. Pardon. Back to bed. Ah, I like it when she hums that song to me. Oh dear, we're both yawning. Time to sleep again. I can hear him snoring next door. 'Not a murmur now', she says to me, the same as always. There's no need to sigh like that, you know. You were a baby once.
2 It's been a hard day's night, as they used to say. My boss made my life hell today. Read the passage and find out what my job is.
I've never known a boss like him; you hardly ever hear him talking normally. He starts as soon as he comes into the office in the morning. If I'm two minutes late, he starts shouting at me. And you should hear him on the phone, yelling at some poor junior. When he asks you to do something, he just barks - like a fierce dog. And when he finds a mistake in your work, he roars like a lion. When someone asks him a question, he nearly always just grunts, like that. He'll sit for hours grumbling about the weather, the business, his colleagues, the market. And he will mutter! Half the time you can't understand a word he's saying. The worst thing is his dictation. He just mumbles all the way through the letter; I have to guess every other word. Then he bites my head off when I've written something he didn't want. I just start stammering and stuttering, and get out of the room as soon as possible.
3 The third group of noises come from a theater. Read the text and find out what is happening on stage.
You can hear the audience whispering excitedly. Some of them are clearing their throats. Could they be nervous? Some thing's happening. The audience are clapping; polite applause at the moment. Two of the audience are being invited onto the stage. The rest of them are cheering and calling out things. Now something is happening on stage; you could hear a pin drop. The two members of the audience are doing exactly what they are told and the chairs they are sitting on are beginning to rise into the air. The audience are gasping. Oh dear, what's happened? They've suddenly fallen to the ground and look most upset. The audience are booing loudly. It hasn't worked. Now they're whistling. The whistling has changed to hissing, but there's nobody on stage except the two members of the audience. Now they're chanting that they want their money back. The manager's coming out on stage. Listen to them groaning.
1. Read the passage and decide whose thoughts are being described.
I'm awake, lying here moaning, and northing's happening at all. Oh well, better start crying properly. Still no reaction. Right, they've asked for it. Here we go with a real scream. Ah, now I hear something next door. Must go on sobbing, so they realise it's serious. Here she comes, muttering to herself. Why is it always her? Never him? Ah, a bottle. Excuse me, but it's difficult to suck a bottle without making sucking noises, you know. Oh no. I've got hiccups again. Sometimes I seem to spend half my day hiccupping. Over the shoulder I go again. Oh dear, a burp. Pardon. Back to bed. Ah, I like it when she hums that song to me. Oh dear, we're both yawning. Time to sleep again. I can hear him snoring next door. 'Not a murmur now', she says to me, the same as always. There's no need to sigh like that, you know. You were a baby once.
2 It's been a hard day's night, as they used to say. My boss made my life hell today. Read the passage and find out what my job is.
I've never known a boss like him; you hardly ever hear him talking normally. He starts as soon as he comes into the office in the morning. If I'm two minutes late, he starts shouting at me. And you should hear him on the phone, yelling at some poor junior. When he asks you to do something, he just barks - like a fierce dog. And when he finds a mistake in your work, he roars like a lion. When someone asks him a question, he nearly always just grunts, like that. He'll sit for hours grumbling about the weather, the business, his colleagues, the market. And he will mutter! Half the time you can't understand a word he's saying. The worst thing is his dictation. He just mumbles all the way through the letter; I have to guess every other word. Then he bites my head off when I've written something he didn't want. I just start stammering and stuttering, and get out of the room as soon as possible.
3 The third group of noises come from a theater. Read the text and find out what is happening on stage.
You can hear the audience whispering excitedly. Some of them are clearing their throats. Could they be nervous? Some thing's happening. The audience are clapping; polite applause at the moment. Two of the audience are being invited onto the stage. The rest of them are cheering and calling out things. Now something is happening on stage; you could hear a pin drop. The two members of the audience are doing exactly what they are told and the chairs they are sitting on are beginning to rise into the air. The audience are gasping. Oh dear, what's happened? They've suddenly fallen to the ground and look most upset. The audience are booing loudly. It hasn't worked. Now they're whistling. The whistling has changed to hissing, but there's nobody on stage except the two members of the audience. Now they're chanting that they want their money back. The manager's coming out on stage. Listen to them groaning.
Describing one's age
Read through these expressions relating to how old we are and what age does to us.
1900
a new-born baby,10 lbs . 3 ozs . at birth
ten months old
nearly eighteen months old
a toddler
four next birthday
coming up to school age at infants' school
a schoolgirl
1910
all those in the 9—11 age group
he had a happy childhood he's a nice kid
a teenager
in his youth
the agonies of adolescence still a minor,
legally speaking a juvenile delinquent
congratulations on your coming of age
1920
you have to be over 21
Miss June Hoskins, aged 22, of35 Stanfield Road
in his mid-twenties
in his prime
at the age of 26 she got married
by the age of 26 she had lived in five different countries
an adult
a grown-up
1930
don't be so childish
he's turned thirty
thirtyish
not a youngster any more
not as young as she was
36 years of age
approaching middle-age
the Under 40s Social Club
1940
on the wrong side of forty
beginning to look his age
an ageing playboy
beginning to feel her age
I prefer mature people
she's still got her girlish sense of humour
in his late forties
she's older than she looks
1950
still playing his schoolboy tricks
in her early fifties
he's aged a lot lately
he's getting on (in years)
one of the older generation
I'm twice your age, young man!
the same age as her husband
heading for retirement
1960
he's over the hill *
Sunday Excursion for the Over 60s
growing old gracefully
a pensioner (an old age pensioner, OAP)
he's coming up to seventy
you're old enough to know better
you're as old as you feel
an elderly lady
1970
a septuagenerian
Help the Aged
she's still going strong
in her seventy-fifth year
his elder brother's death
her eldest sister's death
becoming senile
old age comes to all of us
1980
his eightieth birthday
an octogenarian
he's as old as the hills*
in her second childhood
he's got one foot in the grave*
he'll soon be pushing up the daisies'
she's kicked the bucket*
she's passed away / on
1 How has your relationship with your parents and other members of your family changed as you have grown older?
2 At which age would you most like to stop the world for ten years so you could enjoy it? Has that age passed or is it still to come?
3 Some people say there are a lot of similarities between childhood and old age. Do you agree?
4 Do you think young people are growing up faster these days? If so, give examples.
5 Do you agree or partly agree with the saying 'Life begins at forty'?
1900
a new-born baby,
ten months old
nearly eighteen months old
a toddler
four next birthday
coming up to school age at infants' school
a schoolgirl
1910
all those in the 9—11 age group
he had a happy childhood he's a nice kid
a teenager
in his youth
the agonies of adolescence still a minor,
legally speaking a juvenile delinquent
congratulations on your coming of age
1920
you have to be over 21
Miss June Hoskins, aged 22, of
in his mid-twenties
in his prime
at the age of 26 she got married
by the age of 26 she had lived in five different countries
an adult
a grown-up
1930
don't be so childish
he's turned thirty
thirtyish
not a youngster any more
not as young as she was
36 years of age
approaching middle-age
the Under 40s Social Club
1940
on the wrong side of forty
beginning to look his age
an ageing playboy
beginning to feel her age
I prefer mature people
she's still got her girlish sense of humour
in his late forties
she's older than she looks
1950
still playing his schoolboy tricks
in her early fifties
he's aged a lot lately
he's getting on (in years)
one of the older generation
I'm twice your age, young man!
the same age as her husband
heading for retirement
1960
he's over the hill *
Sunday Excursion for the Over 60s
growing old gracefully
a pensioner (an old age pensioner, OAP)
he's coming up to seventy
you're old enough to know better
you're as old as you feel
an elderly lady
1970
a septuagenerian
Help the Aged
she's still going strong
in her seventy-fifth year
his elder brother's death
her eldest sister's death
becoming senile
old age comes to all of us
1980
his eightieth birthday
an octogenarian
he's as old as the hills*
in her second childhood
he's got one foot in the grave*
he'll soon be pushing up the daisies'
she's kicked the bucket*
she's passed away / on
1 How has your relationship with your parents and other members of your family changed as you have grown older?
2 At which age would you most like to stop the world for ten years so you could enjoy it? Has that age passed or is it still to come?
3 Some people say there are a lot of similarities between childhood and old age. Do you agree?
4 Do you think young people are growing up faster these days? If so, give examples.
5 Do you agree or partly agree with the saying 'Life begins at forty'?
Names
Quiz
See how easily and quickly you can find the missing names in the sentences below. The answers are printed after the exercise to help you.
1 William F. Cody (1846 - 1917) was nicknamed ...
2 Mozart's Christian names were ....
3 Queen Elizabeth's youngest son is called ....
4 The Idlewild Airport in New York
5 ...'s real name is Richard Starkey.
6 A Swedish actress by the name of Greta Gustaffson adopted the screen pseudonym of... .
7 Bach's initials, J.S., stand for ....
8 Mrs Mark Phillips' maiden name was ....
9 The newest airport in Paris
10 Most Englishmen have pretended at some time in their life to be William Younger, alias ....
11 Samuel Clemens' pen-name was ....
12 The stretch of coastland between Toulon in France and Spezia in Italy
13 The tallest building in Paris
14 Someone christened Adolph Schickelgruber became world-famous under the name of... .
15 The film recognised as the first 'talking picture' was entitled ....
16 During the seventies a certain Cassius Clay changed his name to ... .
Answers
1 Buffalo Bill 2 Wolfgang Amadeus 3 Prince Edward 4 Kennedy International Airport 5 Ringo Starr 6 Greta Garbo 7 Johann Sebastian 8 Princess Anne (Windsor
Practice
1 What nicknames have you had, if any? Why did people choose them?
2 What will you call or have you called your children? Why?
3 What's the derivation of the most popular surnames in your country?
4 How has the fashion in first names changed in your lifetime?
5 How important do you think a good name is for pop and film stars?
6 How important is a good name for commercial products like shampoo, soap, cars or cigars? Can you think of any examples of names which have ruined a product's success?
Britain's most irritating expressions
Researchers at Oxford University have compiled a top ten of the most irritating expressions.
Top of the list was "at the end of the day", followed by "fairly unique", reports the Daily Telegraph.
"I personally" - a phrase described by Radio 4 presenter John Humphreys as the "linguistic equivalent of having chips with rice" was third.
Also making the top ten is the grammatically incorrect "shouldn't of", instead of "shouldn't have".
The phrases appear in a book called Damp Squid, named after the mistake of confusing a squid with a squib.
The researchers who compiled the list monitor the use of phrases in a database called the Oxford University Corpus, which comprises books, papers, magazines, broadcast, the internet and other sources.
The book's author Jeremy Butterfield says many annoyingly over-used expressions actually began as office lingo, such as 24/7 and "synergy".
He said: "We grow tired of anything that is repeated too often - an anecdote, a joke, a mannerism - and the same seems to happen with some language."
The top ten most irritating phrases in full:
1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I personally
4 - At this moment in time
5 - With all due respect
6 - Absolutely
7 - It's a nightmare
8 - Shouldn't of
9 - 24/7
10 - It's not rocket science
Top of the list was "at the end of the day", followed by "fairly unique", reports the Daily Telegraph.
"I personally" - a phrase described by Radio 4 presenter John Humphreys as the "linguistic equivalent of having chips with rice" was third.
Also making the top ten is the grammatically incorrect "shouldn't of", instead of "shouldn't have".
The phrases appear in a book called Damp Squid, named after the mistake of confusing a squid with a squib.
The researchers who compiled the list monitor the use of phrases in a database called the Oxford University Corpus, which comprises books, papers, magazines, broadcast, the internet and other sources.
The book's author Jeremy Butterfield says many annoyingly over-used expressions actually began as office lingo, such as 24/7 and "synergy".
He said: "We grow tired of anything that is repeated too often - an anecdote, a joke, a mannerism - and the same seems to happen with some language."
The top ten most irritating phrases in full:
1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I personally
4 - At this moment in time
5 - With all due respect
6 - Absolutely
7 - It's a nightmare
8 - Shouldn't of
9 - 24/7
10 - It's not rocket science
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