Recently, when I went back to England, I indulged in(1) something that I don't often get to indulge in; fruit cake. It might not seem very important, in fact, it might seem like a joke, depending on where you come from. Here in the U.S, for some reason, fruit cake is a joke. People joke about receiving a fruit cake at Christmas, and then trying to find a secret way of disposing of (2) it: put it in someone's mailbox, disguise it as a pet, or leave it in a basket outside a hospital......I've even heard of a book called 'One hundred and one ways to get rid of(3) a fruit cake.' Well, this is all a new experience for me. I love fruit cake. But, then again, there's fruit cake and there's fruit cake(4). Maybe the problem is that people here have never had a decent one. In England fruit cake is on the essential list when it comes to(5) baked goods. The recipe originates in Roman times, and was changed a little in the Middle Ages. Traditionally, it is made with wheat, and loaded with(6) dried fruit, nuts, and brandy. It's just the thing(7), after a long walk, with a slice of quality cheese and a cup of tea. And that is how I ate it in Yorkshire with my sister. We had been for a long walk through a forest and fields, to a panoramic (8)viewpoint. Then we walked back to a cafe that is actually a converted farmhouse. It was a warm, rock building, with wooden tables, views of the fields, and the smells of a bakery.
1. 'To indulge in' often means to eat or drink something that is quite special, though it can also be used as 'to experience' with some non-eating activities. You can miss out the word 'in' if the object is not mentioned. 'To indulge oneself' is used as 'to treat oneself'.
a. We indulged in the most delicious chocolate cake I've ever had.
b. They over-indulged at the New Year's party, and felt ill the next day.
c. I indulged myself in the spa with a manicure, pedicure, and a facial.
2. 'To dispose of' is the same as 'to throw away' or 'to get rid of'.
a. Dispose of old batteries responsibly: take them to a recycling center.
b. He disposed of the evidence; he threw it in the sea.
c. The waste disposal is in the sink (machine that liquefies food waste).
3. 'To get rid of' is an English expression that is very common:
a. Could you just get rid of that old pair of shoes?
b. What did you do with the car? Answer: I got rid of it.
c. What should we do with the corrupt politicians? Answer: Get rid of them!
4. 'There's fruit cake and there's fruit cake.' Why did I make this repetition? What does it mean? It means that there is good fruit cake, or real fruit cake, and there is also bad, or not real fruit cake. You can use this repetition about anything. Sometimes the word 'then' is used in the middle of the comparison to emphasize the contrast in quality. If you really want to contrast one with the other, you can also add an adjective in front of the second object.
a. My mother doesn't like hamburgers. But, you know, there are hamburgers and (then) there are hamburgers.
b. That shop says that it sells antiques. Well, there are antiques and then there are antiques.
c. There are tires and then there are quality tires.
5. 'When it comes to...' is similar in sense to 'on the subject of' or 'while we're talking about...'
a. It's always best to double check your plans when it comes to traveling.
b. When it comes to baked goods, we should always use quality ingredients.
c. When it comes to the house, I think we spent too much money.
6. 'To be loaded with' or 'to load with' is, again, a very English sounding, common expression that can be used for more or less anything.
a. They loaded my plate with chips; there were far too many.
b. His car is loaded with all kinds of junk.
c. This cereal is loaded with iron.
7. 'It's just the thing' is an odd expression that means 'it's the perfect thing'.
a. Ah! A hot bath is just the thing when you're cold.
b. Some discipline is just the thing for lazy people.
c. My muscles ached after work, so I took an aspirin, and it was just the thing.
8. 'Panoramic' is a difficult word to say, so let's practice it.
a. Pan -o-ramic, pan-o-ramic, pan-o-ramic.
b. That photo is panoramic; you can see the whole view.
c. My camera has a panoramic setting.
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When I travel I feel really alive. There is something about getting away from my daily routine that helps me see things from a different perspective. I find it exciting, refreshing, and inspiring(1). Even when I travel to familiar places, such as England, I'm open to learn, and I thoroughly(2) enjoy observing. Another thing that I love about traveling, is the unpredictability(3) of it. Sometimes the unexpected happens. Recently, I went back to England for a couple of weeks to visit my family. While I was there, I visited the historic town of York with my sister. I have been to this rural city many times, but I never get tired of going there. I think, for me, it is just about(4) a perfect place. First of all, it's beautiful. It's cathedral, fourteenth century buildings, and Roman wall, are both perfectly preserved, and fully used(5). It's very clean, very green, and also prosperous. It's a university town, so it has a culture of learning, and it is also very arty. By arty, I mean that there are many places in York where art of all kinds can be experienced. You even find it in the streets. Now, I expected to see(6) buskers on the streets: people playing an instrument, or singing for money. But, as my sister and I walked into the heart of the city, we had a little surprise. Standing at the side of the pavement, dressed completely in white, hard, plastic, and carrying a long, black gun, was a Storm Trooper, a Star Wars Storm Trooper. We were delighted. We had never seen one in person (7) before. He was standing around, displaying his costume for money. I asked if I could take a photo of him, and he suggested that my sister take one of both of us. He handed me the gun, and we posed for a "Hands up!"(8) photo. He told me that he had bought this genuine costume in the '80's for quite a lot of money, and now he was having fun making money by wearing it. Brilliant! It's a good idea. Perhaps our politicians can get out their old costumes, dress up, and make some money to help with the financial crisis. Disney costumes would be the best for them. Anyway, I was thrilled to be with a Storm Trooper,especially considering that I was the one with the gun, and the force.
1. 'Exciting, refreshing, and inspiring'. A list of adjectives like this is a great way to make yourself sound natural when you speak English. It's worth choosing and practicing a few adjectives that you feel comfortable with, so that you can throw them into conversation. Here are a few examples of lists of adjectives:
a. The situation was difficult, uncomfortable, and negative.
b. My teacher is encouraging, knowledgeable, and positive.
c. The project was long, ambitious, and expensive.
2. 'Thoroughly' is a very English sounding word. It means 'fully' or 'totally', but there are specific occasions when we use it.
a. We thoroughly enjoyed the play. (You will hear it most often with the verb 'to enjoy'. It sounds most natural when it is in front of the verb. Note: if you hated the play, you would probably say, "We completely/ absolutely hated the play", you wouldn't use 'thoroughly' with 'hated'.
b. Wash the pot thoroughly before using. (it is often used with 'to wash' in instructions).
3. 'Unpredictability' is a difficult word to say. It's meaning is 'the not knowing, and the changeability' of a situation. Let's practice the pronunciation:
Un-pre-dicta-bility
4. 'Just about' is a highly useful phrase used in front of adjectives, 'the' + adjective, and before or after verbs. It's meaning is 'almost completely'. Used by itself (as a response) it means 'more or less'.
a. It was just about the worst party I've ever been to.
b. She is just about the best singer in the whole competition.
c. He ran just about the whole mile. He just about ran the whole mile.
d. We painted just about the whole building. We just about painted the whole building.
e. Did you understand the lecture? Answer: Yes, just about / more or less.
5. 'Fully' is another word that means 'completely', and is used after a past participle.
a. The hospital has been fully renovated.
b. The project is fully funded by donations. *Note:'fully funded' is one of the more common uses of 'fully'.
6. 'A busker' is a person who entertains on the street by playing an instrument or singing.
a. The busker was fully clothed in silver.
b. That busker is just about the best that I've ever seen.
7. 'In person' means 'live' or 'in the same place' when referring to an individual.
a. I've never seen that singer in person, but apparently she's quite beautiful.
b. I've seen pictures of the Queen, but the other day, I saw her in person.
8. "Hands up!" is usually what is said when someone is arrested. Other phrases are "Stick them up!" (meaning your hands, though this phrase is used mainly playing), or "Drop them!" if the person is carrying a gun.
a. "Drop them buddy, and hands up!"
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Halloween is a time of screams and fright, horrible faces and hideous (1)costumes. It's a time when people who love to be scared can fill up on that experience(2). Those of us who don't like witches, skeletons, zombies, and Draculas hope that the day of Halloween passes quickly. Though the roots of this holiday are ancient, it has become a very modern celebration. By this, I mean that each year Halloween is updated. My almost daily(3) trips to Walmart showed me that that is very true. If you want to give your neighborhood a full Halloween night of fright, you have to jump into the world of shopping. It's no longer enough to carve out a pumpkin(4), put a candle in it, and leave it on your front door step. Your house has to undergo(5) a full theatrical production. While most houses in our town had not been decorated, there were some that should have received awards for their effort and creativity.
We took our two youngest children out to 'trick or treat', and we knew just where (6)to go to make the occasion memorable. The neighborhood up the road, ironically next to the cemetery, has one particular house that has to be visited. We weren't sure which road the house was on, but as we walked along the dark road, flashes of blue light and sounds of screaming were coming from the next street. When we got there we found a house on a steep hill, fake fog floating all around, robotic spiders and skeletons, and three humans at the top of a very long flight of stairs, but they certainly didn't look human. My children, who are usually very brave, stood still and stared. They didn't want to go up the stairs. “Come on,” I said. “I'll go first.” I took my daughter by the hand, made a joke about the silly dressed up teenagers who were trying to look like zombies, and up we went(7). My son followed right behind me. By the time we got to the house, I was actually a little scared, but I didn't admit it. The zombie teenagers were hideous, and the atmosphere was even worse. Was it worth going through this(8) just to get some candy? Well, we didn't stay to find out. Before long we were back at home, and the kids were counting out their candies. They soon forgot about the house of fright as they made their Halloween harvest disappear.
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'Hideous' is another word for ugly or scary. Or more like really ugly or really scary.
a. At the Halloween party I couldn't look at him, his mask was so hideous.
b. That chair is just hideous, plus it looks terrible with the rest of the furniture.
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'To fill up on an experience' means to have a complete experience, or a lot of it. This expression can be used in different ways.
a. The night at the opera really filled us up; it was a wonderful experience.
b. You should fully experience what it is to be a patient, if you want to be a doctor.
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'Almost'. I'm sure that you're very familiar with this word; however, it is used in many different ways in a sentence. In this instance I am using it in front of expressions of time and routine.
a. My almost weekly visits to the spa soon stopped my migraines.
b. His almost hourly snacking makes him fat.
c. Their almost constant complaining drives me nuts!
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'It's not enough to …' It is useful to learn how to copy this sentence format.
a. It's not enough to appologize; he needs to give back the money he stole.
b. It's not enough to talk about the dinner party; we need to plan it and invite people.
c. It's not enough to eat right; we have to exercise as well.
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'To undergo' is used for surgery, and for building renovation. Sometimes we use 'to go through'.
a. Our house will undergo a complete renovation.
b. You'll have to undergo some surgery if you want your hip to function.
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'Just' in the given sentence 'we knew just where to go' has a special meaning. It's the same as saying 'exactly' or 'precisely'.
a. He knew just what to say to make me feel better.
b. She knew just what to cook on a cold wintery day.
c. I'm sure they'll know just what to do.
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'Up we went.' You know in English we usually always use the verb before a word like up. But, if you have already given the context of going up by mentioning stairs, or a mountain, or an elevator (etc), then, a phrase like 'up we went' or 'up we go' can be used as the final mention of the action.
a. We will dive down into the cave. Come on, down we go!
b. We thought a long time about going into the Halloween house, and finally in we went.
c. Your plane will climb to 35,000 ft.. You'll get in your seat, put on your seat belt, and up you'll go.
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'To go through something' has 2 meanings. It is the physical act of passing from one place into another. Or it is the same as 'to experience'.
a. I can't go through another night of no sleep.
b. They went through the forest and out into the field.
c. She'll go through another divorce if she's not careful.
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