"Mum, please don't buy me any clothes. I just want to go shopping for clothes with Dad." This request was made by my almost thirteen year old, and echoed(1) by my fourteen year old. It was totally unexpected. In fact, I have never heard anything like that before(2). I've shopped for my children's clothes all of their lives, and now, suddenly, I've been told not to. Did their request hurt my feelings? Not really. I understand that my two oldest are adolescents; they have what we call a 'mental fog'(3) of hormones and changing feelings. I was the same. Perhaps they no longer like my style. Perhaps the brand names I buy are just not cool. Or perhaps they know something that I don't know about fashion. I have never really followed fashion; I just buy what I like. But fashion, for my boys, has suddenly become quite important. The reason they want to shop with their dad, is that he doesn't care about bargains, sales, or saving money. I, on the other hand, am always looking for a bargain. I shop around(4). My husband will find the nicest shop, and buy whatever(5) the boys want. That's why they now prefer dad over mum, the traitors. So, I decided to show my kids that I'm not out of touch(6), I can be fashionable, and perhaps even cool. The latest thing now, apparently, in middle school are Elites. They are a super duper(7), special, wonderful, cool-to-the-extreme(8) type of sock. Everybody wears them, well, everybody who is anybody(9) wears them. If you want to be seen as normal you have to have Elites, otherwise your life is meaningless. So, I followed the dictates of fashion, and spent far too much money on socks. And, you know, I think there is something special about them, some kind of magical power. As soon as my boys put them on, they seemed happier, more confident, and definitely cooler. They walked into school like two zebras joining the herd(10); they belonged.
1. 'Echo' can be used figuratively when someone's words agree or reflect someone else's.
a. My sister's words were echoed by her husband: I should go to the doctor immediately.
b. My grandmother's voice echoed in my daughter's laughter.
2. 'I have never heard anything like that before' is a useful sentence to practice with different verbs:
a. I have never seen anything like that before.
b. I have never eaten anything like that before.
c. We have never been anywhere like that before.
d. They have never done anything like that before.
e. She has never said anything like that before. etc etc
3. 'Mental fog' is used when talking about health issues, when a person feels forgetful or not fully awake.
a. If I don't sleep enough, I have a real mental fog.
b. Depression gives you a mental fog, but exercise and a good diet can make you mentally sharper.
4. 'To shop around' means to spend time going from one shop to another to find the best price. It is also slang for dating lots of people to gain experience.
a. I liked the car, but it was too expensive. I think I'll shop around.
b. You don't have to marry the first man you meet; shop around a little.
5. 'Whatever' is too important to not mention. It's a great word to use in many situations.
a. Buy whatever you want. Eat whatever you want. Listen to whatever he says. (The negative of this is 'don't listen to anything he says'). Do whatever you want.
6. 'To be out of touch' is to not see or respond to reality the way most others do; or to not be realistic. It is also used for being non-communicative with friends and relatives.
a. My family thinks that I am out of touch because I don't have a computer.
b. I'm so out of touch; I really need to get on Facebook and catch up with my family and friends.
7. 'Super duper' is a traditional slang; it's an extension of super and is lighthearted.
a. After dinner, we had Maria's super duper yummy apple pie.
b. I think the Honda Leaf is a super duper car.
8. '.....to-the-extreme' can be used with many different adjectives.
a. They are sporty-to-the-extreme; it's all they talk about, and all they do.
b. They are unhealthy-to-the-extreme; they smoke, drink too much, never exercise, and only eat at McDonald's.
9. 'Anybody' or 'somebody' are both used to refer to someone who has social importance. The opposite is a 'nobody'.
a. He really thinks he's somebody. He left the party because he said it was full of nobodies. I'm glad he left.
b. You must see the Oscars; anybody who is anybody will be there. (Here you can say 'everybody who is anybody will be there') also.
10. A herd is a group of animals, usually 4 legged.
a. The herd of cows ran when the thunder started.
b. The huge herd of zebras covered the plains to the horizon.
Do you remember a few episodes ago, a podcast called Smoke to the North? We learned how to say that something is going on in a particular direction. Well, recently, we have had very bad fires to the West which are still burning. The photo on the blog page was a late afternoon view from my back garden, unusually dark, with a beautiful but very unusual sun. That was taken a few days ago. Now the hillside is completely black, and the fire has swept up(1) to the forests and hills behind our valley. First of all, when the fire was small and confined to an area of empty, dry hillside, it seemed just interesting, and even a little exciting. You could hear the whining (2)of emergency sirens here and there, and of course, it was the main topic of conversation. But these fires have dragged on(3). For the past two mornings we have woken up to a valley full of smoke; you can't even see the hills anymore. The local school district has cancelled all outside sports and recesses, and sporting clubs have done the same(4). People we know have had to evacuate their homes, though some have decided to stay in order to wet their rooves, trees, and gardens, to prevent fire. And remember, it's not just people who have been affected. The hills around here have many different kinds of wild animals, including predators. They are on the move(5) now, trying to get away from the smoke and ash, to reach cleaner, greener areas. One of my husband's favorite hunting areas is getting heavy traffic of deer and coyotes; the bears and cougars will be following as well. The whole thing started with a lightening storm several days ago. There was fork lightening everywhere, and of course, after the summer, the surrounding hills are completely dry. A fire was bound to (6)start. Add to that our desert climate of very little to no rain, and you find us here, still in this smokey situation. The fire fighters have been working around the clock(7), and helicopters go to and fro(8) collecting water from the rivers and taking it up the mountains. Now, it's a question of sitting and waiting. There's nothing really that we can do. It is not so bad that we have to leave, but it's certainly not yet under control. I hope that in a few days we will be back to normal; I look forward to breathing clean air again.
1. 'Swept' or 'to sweep' is used often to describe how something has moved, especially if that something looks similar to a brush, or acts like a brush. It is similar, in this case, to 'wipe'.
a. She swept her long, thick hair out of her face, and pinned it up at the back of her head.
b. The fire swept through the fields in no time, burning up the wheat.
2. 'To whine', 'whining', or 'whiny' is an uncomfortable sound used to describe a certain noise that people make, though it can be used to describe mechanical noises as well.
a. I can't stand it when children whine; their tone of voice when they moan, beg, or complain is tiring. We must teach them to express themselves differently.
b. That man is a whiner. He complains about everything; he's always negative.
c. The fire alarm whined loudly, and immediately everybody evacuated.
3. 'To drag on' means to continue tiresomely.
a. The musical rehearsal dragged on; the beginner players tried their best, but sounded awful.
b. Gosh that meeting dragged on! I wish people wouldn't repeat themselves and talk on and on for no good reason.
4. 'The same' is short for 'the same thing'. The sentence talks about sports clubs doing the same thing as the school district; it is unnecessary to always add 'thing'.
a. They have just painted their fence, and we've done the same (thing).
b. She got 99% on the math exam, and he got the same. (* Here, you wouldn't use 'thing' because you are specifically referring to the percentage).
5. 'To be on the move' is used when referring to animals migrating, or large amounts of vehicles moving.
a. The wildebeest are on the move, walking many miles each day in search of food and water.
b. The tanks have been given their orders, and are now on the move.
6. 'To be bound to...' means the same as 'was/were going to'. 'Bound' is the past participle and adjective of 'to bind' which means to tie up, to secure. So, 'to be bound to...' means that something will happen, and there is no other choice.
a. With the economic crisis hitting this town, there is bound to be a lot of unemployment.
b. He's bound to go to the pub; he can't stay away from them.
7. 'Around the clock' is a phrase we use in order to say 'a lot' or 'for many hours' or 'night and day'.
a. The builders have to work around the clock to get the stadium finished on time.
b. The investigators are working around the clock to find the criminals.
8. 'To and fro' is similar to 'back and forth'.
a. The deer would come into our garden and then go back to the forest, to and fro all Winter.
b. We watched the tennis players hit the ball to and fro, until our heads got tired.
Remember to join me on FACEBOOK at Anna fromacupofenglish; it's an open invitation to all listeners! If you wish to contact me, you can do so at acupofenglish@live.com My app 'A Cup Of English' is available in iTunes.
We're back in business! In fact, I'm back in business. This is an English expression, an idiom(1). And what does it mean? It means that things are working again as they should. I decided to call this podcast 'Back in business' because I am beginning to do my podcasts again, after missing several weeks. I do apologize for disappearing during the summer, but life became very hectic(2). Now that there is more of a routine in my home, I can take time to work on my podcasts, and enjoy bringing you the expressions and useful language that will make your English sound natural. It's good to be back in business. You will hear this expression in all English speaking countries. If, for example, your car has a flat battery(3), and you charge it, hoping that when it has enough power, you will be able to start your car. You finish the charging process, detach the cables(4), and turn the key. Suddenly, "Vroom!" it works; the battery is full of energy, and your motor is working. That is when you say with a smile, "We're back in business." The car is working as it should. This idiom can be used in most situations. Let's say that you are going to catch a plane but it is delayed(5). After waiting and waiting, you hear the airport announcer say, "Flight 801 to Madrid will begin boarding (6)in 15 minutes," your response could easily be, "Hey, we're back in business!" So, this expression is often said with a smile. An opposite expression that you use when your plans have to suddenly change, or when things are not working, is "There's a bump in the road." You can imagine a smooth road that you are traveling on, and suddenly you can't go any further because of a big bump. There is a delay, you need to call for help, or you have to solve the problem yourself. This expression can also be used in many situations. An example of a coversation that you might have using both expressions is the following:
"Our company had its annual meeting yesterday."
"Oh really? Did it go well?"
"Yes, but there was a bump in the road."
"What happened?"
"The main speaker choked on an olive and had to be taken to hospital. Thankfully, his assistant was familiar with the presentation, so we were back in business."
1. The word idiom sounds a lot like 'idiot' but has nothing to do with it. An idiom is an expression that is native to a country, and not obvious in meaning. For example, in Spain, if you want to describe someone as being talkative, you could say, "He talks through his elbows." In other countries, it might not be obvious that that person talks a lot. The expression is typically Spanish, and needs to be interpreted, and learned as a complete expression, not translated.
2. Hectic is another word for 'too busy'. It is like a mix of 'chaos' and 'busy'.
a. I have a hectic schedule at work. I hope I can surivive!
b. The tour of the city was too hectic; we were in a rush, and we saw too many things.
3. There are certain words that we use with batteries. A battery has 'power' of course. When it has its maximum power, we say that it is 'full'. When it no longer has power, we say that it is 'flat'. You could say 'empty' as people would understand, but the correct word is 'flat'. And, in order to regain power, we 'charge' batteries.
a. I need to charge my cell phone battery because I have almost no power left.
b. My car battery is completely flat. I don't think I can charge it anymore. I just need to buy a new one.
4. In the podcast I mentioned detaching the cables from the car battery. In other words, I was talking about taking off the wires that were charging the battery. A cable is generally a wire conductor that is covered in plastic. A 'wire' is not always a conductor of electricity; it might be used for something else (like hanging a picture). Cables are used when charging cars. Infact, those specific cables are called 'jumper cables'.
a. Be careful when you detach the jumper cables from the car battery. You could get a shock!
b. She makes the most beautiful art out of copper wire.
5. 'Delay' and 'delayed' are essential words in English. Delay is a verb and a noun, and delayed is used as an adjective.
a. The plane was delayed for three hours, so we took the train instead.
b. He's going to delay our plans if he keeps talking/ he's going to make us late if he keeps talking.
6. 'To board' is another essential verb in English which means to get on a plane/ boat/ train. It sounds exactly like 'bored' (which means unentertained) but has a slightly different spelling.
a. It's time to board the train; hurry up, let's go.
b. We can't board the plane for at least 15 minutes.