Phrase Mix 7

1. That kind of behavior would be totally unacceptable where I come from. You went to a supermarket in the U.S. and the cashier looked bored and angry. You say this because you can't believe that a store employee would be that rude.A person's "behavior" is the way that they act. You can have "good behavior" or "bad behavior". But the phrase "that kind of behavior" always refers to someone who's doing bad things: I do not engage in that kind of behavior. Unfortunately, that kind of behavior is common in large companies. where I come from You can use the phrase "where I come from" to talk about differences between your home town, region, or country and the place where you are now: Where I come from, people say "Excuse me" when they bump into you. People usually use this phrase when they're complaining about things that people do, which are considered rude in the place that they're from. It's common for people from small towns to say things like this when they go to a big city. 2. Their current President is a former business executive. The topic of Korean politics came up at a dinner with a group of coworkers. You know more about this topic than the other people, so you're explaining some facts about South Korea to them. This is what you tell them about South Korea's president. an executive 高管 An "executive" is a person with a high position in a company, like a CEO, President, or Vice President. Use the word "executive" when you want to talk about someone who has a high-ranking job in a company, but you don't think it's important to talk about the person's specific job title: Several of their top executives have been accused of insider trading. I have only a vague understanding of Korean politics. You're having a meal with your boss and some other coworkers and someone mentions some news about North Korea. You don't know much about North Korea. You say this to admit your ignorance without sounding dumb. a vague (something) "Vague" means "not clear". Here are some things that can be called vague: I felt a vague sense of disappointment when I heard about that. He gave a vague explanation of how it works. Politicians always make vague promises to improve this and that around election time, but they rarely follow through. Is that widely used? Something that is "widely used" is used by a lot of people. Other phrases where "widely" is used as an adverb to describe a lot of people doing something include: It's widely available. (A lot of people can get it.) a widely accepted idea (Something that most people agree is true.) He's widely known as (something) a widely held belief (Something that a lot of people believe.) 3. You want to meet up after class and go over it? meet up The word "meet" has two basic meanings: To see and speak with someone for the first time. To get together with someone who you already know or have met before. The phrase "meet up" is useful because it only means the second definition of "meet". So it's better to say that you're "meeting up" with someone who you already know: Let's meet up next weekend. If you say that you're "meeting" someone, it may sound like you don't know them yet. To identify the person that you're meeting, use "meet up with ___": I met up with Jerry for drinks the other day, and he told me that you were engaged. Congratulations! go over (something) "Going over" something means discussing or reviewing it. You can "go over" things that have already been done or discussed. You can also "go over" things that are new. For example, say this to someone who's going to participate in your wedding ceremony: Let's go over what you're supposed to do on the day of the ceremony. get an internship An "internship" is a short-term job that a student (or sometimes a young person who has already graduated from school) takes, in order to get experience in a field. Sometimes the student will get paid for their work. If so, you can call it a "paid internship". But a lot of internships are unpaid. Students do internships because it will make it easier for them to get a job in that field later if they already have work experience. Use the word "get" to talk about being accepted for an internship or being offered an internship: When I was a junior in college, I got an internship at HBO. (someone is) disappointed in (someone) When you're "disappointed", it means that you're a little sad because something wasn't as good as you expected it to be. You can be "disappointed with" a movie, a sports team's performance, and so on: Betty was kind of disappointed with how her cupcakes turned out. But when you say that you're "disappointed in" a person, it means that someone who you used to have a high opinion of did something bad. So now you can't respect that person as much. The phrase "disappointed in ___" is usually used when you're talking about your children, your employees, or someone else with lower status. If you directly tell someone that you're disappointed, it's a pretty serious statement and makes it sound like you have authority over that person: Son, I'm disappointed in you. You might tell someone this if you found out that they did something immoral like lying, cheating on their partner, or stealing something. 4. I'm not saying that's true for all Japanese people, of course. You're were talking with someone about the differences between Japanese people and people from other countries. You said that Japanese people are usually reserved, but you don't want the listener to think that you believe all Japanese people are like this, so you say this. (something) is true for (someone) 同样适用于 Some things that you say are only true if you're talking about a certain group of people or things. To explain which people or things a statement applies to, use the phrase "true for": A lot of people have trouble losing weight, but that's never been true for me. If anything, I have to work hard to gain any weight. Research with students has shown that those who don't eat breakfast can't pay attention as well by 10 or 11 a.m., " says Dr. Kenney. "The same is true for adults.  We run out of steam." In the last example above, you can see the phrase "The same is true for adults." "The same is true for ___" is a common way for "true for ___" to appear. Japanese people tend to be rather reserved. (something) tends to be (adjective) You can talk about the way that something usually or often is with the phrase "(something) tends to be ___": Homes in the southern U.S. tend to be a bit larger than those in the North. The air tends to be very humid close to the coastline. You can also use "tend to" in the phrase "tend to (do something)": It tends to rain a lot at this time of year. (someone is) reserved A "reserved" person is someone who is quiet, doesn't usually state their opinions publicly, and controls their emotions: My father was always reserved at home, but I used to hear from guys that worked with him that he was the life of the party, The meaning of "reserved" is similar to "shy", but "reserved" has more of a positive meaning. If you say that someone is "shy", it sounds like they want to be more outgoing, but they're too afraid to. If you say that someone is "reserved", it sounds like they've made a decision to be that way. "Reserved" is an academic-sounding word, so you might not hear people use it much in casual conversation. Instead, someone might describe a person as being "quiet", "shy", or "even-tempered" 平和的. Yeah, people have a tendency to be unsatisfied with how much they make, no matter what their income is. Your friend just told you a story about a former college friend who's quite wealthy but still doesn't feel like she makes enough money. You want to show that you understood the meaning of your friend's story. You say this, summarizing in a more general way. people have a tendency to (do something) Use this phrase to describe things that people often do, in a philosophical or scientific-sounding way: People have a tendency to associate themselves with those who they share common interests and values with. how much (someone) makes / income "How much you make" and your "income" are basically the same thing. "Income" is a more technical-sounding word. People usually try to income / using the same word for something many times in a conversation unless it's a really basic word or if you really want to emphasize an idea. Instead, we usually look for different words or phrases to explain the same idea. 5. Look on the bright side. You've still got your health and your family. Your friend just lost his job. You're having a drink with him and talking to him about it. You say this because you want to encourage him. Look on the bright side. This is an expression that means "Think positively." People use this expression when they're talking to someone who's having a problem. After saying "Look on the bright side", the speaker then says something good that the person who's having the problem can be happy about. Here are some other examples of things that you could say to someone who lost his or her job: Look on the bright side. At least you won't have to wake up early to go to work now. Look on the bright side. You're young, you've got a good degree. I'm sure you'll have a new job in no time. Don't try to act tough. "Tough" describes something that can withstand a lot of use or damage, but keep working. A "tough" person doesn't complain when they get injured, and can work for a long time without stopping. Objects can also be tough. For example: a tough truck. a tough camera case. Don't try to act tough. You say this when someone is pretending to be strong or tough, but you know that they really aren't that way. 6. You should put some stuff on it to keep it from getting infected 伤口感染, don't you think? Your brother cut his finger. He just put a band-aid on it, but you think he should also use an ointment so that the cut doesn't get infected. You make this suggestion. (a body part) gets infected When a part of your body "gets infected", it means that bacteria enters it and causes problems like pain, redness, and strange fluids. You can also say that a person "gets infected" when they get a virus or other contagious illness.: Over 3,000 people in New York have been infected with 被传染 the bird flu. What? You mean you don't want to pull an all-nighter 搞通宵? "Pulling an all-nighter" means staying up all night to work on something. This is most often used to talk about students who stay up all night to finish a big homework assignment or to study for a test. You can also use it when you're talking about people staying at work all night to finish something. All right, we'll pick it back up in the morning 接着来, 继续干. You've been working hard on a project at work all afternoon, and one of your team members suggests that you should call it a day. You agree, and you want to tell everyone that you should all continue working on it again in the morning. pick it back up This phrase means to continue doing something that you had stopped doing. This is useful for talking about work, lessons, games, or other things that continue for more than one day: One thing I like about listening to audio books is that you can pause them and pick them back up later without searching for where you stopped. I didn't speak English for a few years, but I was able to pick it back up with no problem. Another related phrase is "pick up where (one) left off". This means to continue something from the same point that you stopped at last time: OK, well it looks like time's up, but we'll pick back up where we left off tomorrow. I'm at the point where I can understand most of what's going on around me. You're studying a 3rd language. You can usually understand what people are saying in that language. A friend asks you about your progress, so you reply. I'm at the point where (clause) This phrase is used to explain your current situation. It can be used to talk about your feelings. For example, when talking about a child who's getting into a lot of trouble: I'm at the point where I just don't know what to do any more. Or it can be used to talk about your current situation when working on a project: We're at the point where we're going to need to start hiring extra people to keep up with the workload. But the phrase "I'm at the point where ___" is only used for talking about things that take place over several weeks, months, or years. You wouldn't say "I'm at the point where I'm hungry", for example. understand what's going on around (one) "What's going on around me" means the things that you can see and hear, and that are happening close to you. People usually talk about understanding, paying attention, or noticing "what's going on around (someone)": Keiko was just sitting there, reading her book, totally unaware of what was going on around her. You can't play around when you're driving. You've got to pay attention to what's going on around you. 7. It's still good. Just heat it up a bit. Your husband has just come home. He is looking around the kitchen for something to eat. There's a pot of soup on the stove which you made earlier today. He asks about it. You respond like this. (something) is still good When you're talking about food, the word "good" can have more than one meaning. One meaning of "good" is "delicious": Wow, this is actually pretty good. The other meaning of "good" is "not rotten" or "not stale". This is the way that "good" is used in the example at top. heat (something) up To "heat ___ up" means to make something warm enough to use. You "heat up" cold food or a cold room: It's freezing in here! Do you want to turn the heater on and heat it up 暖和一下? The word "heat" by itself also means to make something warm, but it sounds a little too technical to use when you're speaking conversationally about food. However, it's perfect to use for a written recipe: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the onions and cook until brown. I'm perfectly fine 完全没意见, 完全没问题 (doing something) If you're "perfectly fine" with something, it means that you don't have any problems with it: If you want to smoke in your own home, that's perfectly fine. But other people shouldn't have to breathe in your smoke while they're trying to enjoy a meal at a restaurant. "Perfectly ___" is usually used to disagree with what someone else said: A: Stop getting upset. B: What are you talking about? I'm perfectly calm. Or you can use it to express a contrast between two ideas: I'm sure it's perfectly safe, but it has a funny taste. You state an action that you're perfectly fine with by saying "I'm perfectly fine ___ing": I'm perfectly fine just staying home and chilling out today. 8. Why don't I hang on to that for you. You're traveling to another country with your boyfriend. When you got to the airport, he wasn't able to find his passport. You both got worried, but after searching for a few minutes he found it. You're worried that he'll lose it again, so you offer this suggestion. hang on to (something) 留着, 不要丢失, 保管, 保存 To "hang on to" something means to hold or keep it, without losing it. You use this phrase when you think that someone might lose something: If you find a good man, hang on to him. You should hang on to the warranty, and contact the manufacturer if there are any problems with it. clarify (a question or statement) To "clarify" something that you said means to make it clear. When you've said something that might be confusing or was misunderstood, you "clarify" your statement by saying it again in a new way and adding more details. The word "clarify" can be used in questions like in the example above, or in the phrase "To clarify,..." Just to clarify, you said that you're definitely coming, right? You often hear the noun form of "clarify", which is "clarification": I wrote back to her and asked for clarification, but she never returned my e-mail. 9. Whether they're growing in terms of revenue, I'm not so sure. On your lunch break at work, you're talking with a coworker about one of your company's competitors which is hiring a lot of new employees. Your coworker is worried about this competitor, but you aren't. You've just said "They've certainly added a lot of staff recently." This is how you continue this thought. (a company) is growing When a company is making more money, adding more employees, or gaining more customers, you can say that it's "growing". in terms of (something) The phrase "in terms of" explains what standard you're measuring something on. In this example: Whether they're growing in terms of revenue, I'm not so sure. ...the speaker wonders whether the competitor is "growing in terms of revenue". A company can grow in several ways, including revenue, profits, number of employees, number of stores, and in other ways. The phrase "in terms of revenue" explains how you're measuring the growth. Other examples include: A woman wants a guy who she can click with 合拍, 合得来, 处得好 in terms of her interests & hobbies. Where do you see yourself in 5 years in terms of your career? revenue "Revenue" is the money that a company or a person makes from its customers. When you're talking about money, there are several terms that all have different meanings: Revenue is the money that a business gets from sales, or from investments. Income is also money that a company makes. This word is also used to describe the amount of money that an individual person makes. Profit is the amount of money that is left after a company pays for its employees, materials, rent, and other costs. There are much more technical definitions for each of these terms that accountants and business executives need to learn, but these definitions will work for most people. You can use either "revenue" as an uncountable noun, or "revenues": Revenues are pretty good this quarter. 10. Yeah, well they've certainly added a lot of staff recently. During your lunch break at work, you're chatting with a coworker about one of your company's competitors. Your coworker is worried about the competitor and mentions that they are getting bigger. You say this because you're not as worried about them, but you do agree that the competitor has added more staff. staff "Staff" is a word that means "employees" or "workers". People usually use the word "staff" when they're talking in general about the entire group of people who work somewhere: The staff there is super friendly and helpful. "Employees" is more often used when you're speaking from the perspective of the boss: Have you ever had to fire an employee? "Staff" is a collective noun, so you use it in singular form to talk about the entire group: Afterwards, the entire staff went out to celebrate. If you want to talk about just one or just a few people on the staff, use the phrase "staff members": One of the staff members at my gym asked me out yesterday. add staff 增加员工 To "add staff" means to hire more employees for a business. (someone did / has done something) recently "Recently" is used to talk about things that have happened in the last few weeks or months. This is similar but slightly different in meaning to "lately" and "these days". 11. 9% of respondents indicated that they did not have car insurance. Your company conducted a survey of car owners to find out their opinions of different car insurance companies. You're writing a summary of the results. respondents 被调查者, 被抽查这者, 回复的人 "Respondents" are people who answer a survey, an advertisement, or a post. "Respondent" is related to the word "respond". This is a pretty technical-sounding word, so you won't hear it much in spoken conversation. It's more common in newspaper articles, academic journals, and other formal written documents. (someone) indicated that (clause) For a person to "indicate" something means that they communicate it through speech, writing, or maybe your facial expressions: The president also indicated that his administration would work hard to pass the bill. When talking about surveys, you often say that "respondents indicated that..." 12. We conducted a survey of approximately 1,200 car owners from across the country. Your company wanted to find out what people thought about different car insurance companies. You created a survey, which people answered online. Now you're writing a summary of the survey and you include this information. conduct a survey The word that describes creating, distributing, and getting the results of a survey is "conduct". So you can think of "conducting a survey" as "doing a survey". The word "conduct" is also used with a few other similar activities: conduct an experiment, conduct an investigation, conduct an interview. On the other side, the people who answer the survey questions are participating in it: We invited about 15,000 users to participate in our survey, but only 300 of them responded. approximately (a number) (可用于时间或数字) "Approximately" means "about". Use it when you don't know or don't want to tell someone an exact number. For example, you may hear this on an airplane: We'll be arriving in San Francisco in approximately two hours and forty minutes. You can use "approximately" to talk about numbers as well as time: We have approximately one thousand two hundred students. "Approximately" is more formal than "about". Use it for written documents and essays, when speaking with customers you don't know well, or in formal speeches. across the country When you're talking about something that happens everywhere in a country, you say "across the country": Real estate prices across the country dropped by over 20%. When you're talking about something that's worldwide, you don't use "across". Instead you say: People from all around the world have signed up to try it out. 13. My husband is a total baseball freak. A coworker mentions that her husband watches baseball. Your husband watches baseball too. He's super interested in it, but you don't care much about it. You say this about your husband. a (something) freak Call someone "a ___ freak" if they're really interested in a specific topic. Some examples include: I admit that I used to be somewhat of a comic book freak back then. Since when did you become such a cooking freak? When you call someone "a ___ freak", it means that you think they spend too much time thinking about that topic. The word "freak" has a negative meaning; it means someone who is not normal and has a strange appearance or personality. However, "a ___ freak" doesn't sound that negative. It makes people think of someone who is really into a hobby. You can also call someone "a ___ nerd": She's such a music nerd. But "a ___ freak" is someone who's really emotionally involved in their hobby. "A ___ nerd" is someone who knows a lot about their topic, but may not be as energetic as "a ___ freak". 14. I seriously need to start sending out invitations soon. You've just gotten engaged and you're starting to plan your wedding. You're talking with a friend about your preparations. You haven't sent invitations to guests yet, but your wedding is coming up very soon. You say this because you're a little stressed out about it. (someone) seriously needs to (do something) This phrase sounds like something a younger person would say. It's not inappropriate for older people, but I picture someone under 35 using this. invitations "Invitations" are cards (or, more recently, e-mails) that you send to people. An invitation announces an event like a wedding or a party, and lets you know that you're welcome to come to it. The word "invitation" can also mean asking someone to come to an event. When you use "invitation" in this way, it often comes in these phrases: To "extend an invitation to" someone means to invite them. To "accept an invitation" means to say "yes". To "have an open invitation" means that you are invited to go somewhere any time you want to. Written "invitations" can be plural, but a spoken "invitation" usually isn't. We're going to keep it to just close friends and family. You've gotten engaged, and now you're planning your wedding. You don't want to have a big wedding. Now you're talking with a friend and you say this about your plans. keep it to (a number or group of people) The phrase "keep it to ___" is a casual way to talk about putting a limit on something: I want to keep it to about 25 people at most. 15. Shouldn't a woman have the right to choose what she does with her own life? You're having a debate with a friend of yours. He said that he thinks women should stay home and take care of the children in a marriage. You disagree because you think it's unfair to women. You say this because you think that each woman should be able to choose what she wants to do. have the right to (do something) Americans have a strong belief in "rights". The Constitution of the U.S., which is the document that contains the country's most important laws, gives Americans several rights such as the right to carry weapons and the right to free speech. basic human rights (things like food, clean water, and not being made into a slave by anyone). civil rights (not being discriminated against or treated badly by the government). the right to remain silent (for someone who is arrested). do (something) with (one's) life The phrase "do ___ with your life" means to do something as part of your daily life, like as a career or as a hobby that you spend a lot of time on. 16. Anant, can you load up the dishwasher? You've finished eating dinner. Someone has to clean up the dishes, and you want your son to help you do it. He's usually pretty helpful. You ask him this. load up (something) To "load up" something means to put stuff on or in it until it gets full. Aside from your dishwasher, some other things that you can "load up" include: load up your truck, load up your plate (with food) 装盘, load up a basket. There's a very small difference between just using the word "load" and using "load up". When you say that someone "loaded" something, it makes me think of the action of them putting things on or in something. But when you say that they "loaded up" something, it makes me think of the result of having a full dishwasher, truck, bag, etc. However, the difference is small so you don't really need to worry about which word to use in most situations. I don't want to get into it right now. You're upset because of a problem that you're having with your visa paperwork. You're talking to a friend and she can tell that you're upset. She asks what's wrong. You say this because it would take too long to explain and you're too upset to talk about it. get into (something) To "get into" a topic or a story means to talk about it in detail. For example: Jordan and I got into a long debate about whether to buy a Mac or a PC. I'll get into that a little later. Well listen, I'm going to go mingle a bit. You're at a party with lots of people. You've been standing and talking with someone for a few minutes, but now you want to end the conversation so that you can talk to other people as well. You say this to be polite. mingle To "mingle" means to walk around and talk to a lot of people at a party or event. If you just talk to your friends, or if you're sitting down at the party, it's not mingling. Mingling is when you have lots of short conversations with different people. (do something) a bit "A bit" means "a short time" or "a small amount". In the example above, "mingle a bit" means "mingle for a little while". The person who said this wants to communicate that she will come back to talk again later. You can also say "for a bit". 17. If you ask me 要我说的话, the real problem is the way that the media has handled this. There's a controversial political issue that's causing a lot of problems. You're discussing this issue with a group of friends. One of your friends blames one of the people involved in the issue. You think that newspapers, TV news programs, radio show hosts, and so on should be blamed for it. You say this about who you think is at fault. If you ask me, This is a way to boldly state your opinion about something. Start your sentence with this phrase to tell people what you think: If you ask me, I think we ought to scrap the whole project altogether and start over. People often use this phrase when they're giving an opinion that they think other people might disagree with. It makes you sound pretty opinionated. If someone has already asked you what you think about something, you shouldn't use "If you ask me". the way that (someone) has handled (something) To "handle" a situation means to deal with it. "The way that (someone) has handled" a situation means the things that they have done in response to that situation. For example, if one of your employees has done a bad job on a project, you can say: I'm really not happy with the way that you've handled this. Actually it's been kind of slow this week. You're talking with someone you know who works in another part of your company. She asks if you've been busy lately. You're not busy, so you say this. it's slow Describing a situation as "slow" means that it's not busy: It's really slow today. We've had a really slow month. They're passed out. You've spent the day at the beach with your young children. Now you're riding back home. You see that your kids are asleep in the back seat of the car. You say this to your husband.(someone) is passed out (睡着)(I. If you pass out, you faint or collapse. to suddenly become unconscious, for example because you are too hot. I was hit on the head and passed out. People everywhere were passing out from the heat. He felt sick and dizzy and then passed out. II. UK When a police, army, navy, or air force cadet passes out, he or she completes his or her training. to officially complete a course at a military or a police college. The new officers passed out from Britannia Royal Naval College on Thursday 1 August . He passed out in November 1924 and was posted to No 24 Squadron. III. 发放. 分发 = hand out. to give something to each member of a group The hall was silent as the examination was passed out. IV. to graduate or complete your education I passed out from AIIMS, New Delhi in 2008. pass out 睡着, 沉睡, 睡死过去, 昏睡过去: be passed out睡得死死的. I went home and passed out after a long day at work. I've been up since 5 AM, so I'm just going to go pass out after dinner. pass out cold = pass out. Faint When she heard the news she passed out cold. out cold = out for the count; out like a light I. Unconscious or in a deep, insensible sleep. Likened to a boxer who has been knocked out. I didn't even hear you come in last night. I was so tired that I was out cold as soon as my head hit the pillow. On his 21st birthday, Mike's friends gave him so much to drink that he was out cold by 10 PM. The rowdy customer was out cold when the bouncer punched him in the head. II. Fig. unconscious. I fell and hit my head. I was out cold for about a minute. Tom fainted! He's out like a light! III. Fig. intoxicated. Four beers and he was out cold. He sat in his chair at the table, out cold.  ) To be "passed out" means to be asleep. However, "going to sleep" suggests something that you do on purpose. "Passing out" is something that happens without your control. A person "passes out" when he or she is extremely tired, drunk, or has been injured. Usually it happens in a place that's not normal to sleep in: There was a guy passed out on a park bench. I was like, "What's he doing there?" In the example above, when the mother says that her kids are "passed out", it means that they were really tired from playing outside in the sun all day, and they couldn't stay awake. Maybe they fell asleep really fast, or they're in a really deep sleep. When you're talking about going to sleep, there are several stages like this: go to sleep > be asleep > wake up > be awake. It's the same with "passing out": pass out > be passed out > regain consciousness > be conscious. Or pass out > be passed out > wake up > be awake. 18. It's all about self-discipline. You're giving advice to your son, who's getting bad grades in school. You give him this advice to be more successful in his studies. It's all about (something) 全在于, 全看 This is something you say when you're giving someone advice on how to do something well. When you think that the key to success is just one thing, you say "it's all about ___". For example, when talking about career success, people often say: It's all about connections. This means that being successful in your career is mainly a result of knowing the right people. By the way, there's another version of this phrase with a similar meaning but which is more casual and sounds more negative: It's all about who you know. And for one more example, when giving someone advice on hitting a baseball, you can say: It's all about keeping your eye on the ball. This means that watching the ball carefully is the most important aspect of hitting it. self-discipline [ˈdɪsɪplɪn] 自律 "Self-discipline" is the quality of making yourself do something that's good for you, even if you don't want to do it. It's similar to willpower, but there are some small differences: "willpower 自制力, 意志" is usually used to describe avoiding something that you really want to do but shouldn't. The most basic example is avoiding sweet and fatty food when you're on a diet. "self-discipline" is used more when talking about doing things that you're supposed to do but are hard. For "self-discipline", it will probably help to imagine someone waking up early every day to exercise. "willpower" is something that you can have or not have in the present moment, but "self-discipline" is something that you demonstrate over time. It doesn't make sense to say "I don't have any self-discipline today" but you can say "I don't have any willpower today." I've never been able to stick to a diet. You're talking about dieting with a coworker at lunch. You've tried to diet several times in the past, but you gave up too quickly. You say this about your your success with diets. stick to (something) 坚持下来, 照搬, 原封不动的 To "stick to" something means to continue to do it, even if it's difficult. You can "stick to" a diet, of course. Other things that people try to "stick to" include: stick to a plan, stick to your promise, stick to the script (this means to follow the plan that was discussed at the beginning of a project). I admire 羡慕, 艳羡, 钦佩 your willpower. You offer a coworker some cookies that you made. She says no because she's on a diet. You are impressed, because you usually can't say no to sweets. This is how you compliment her. admire (someone's) (characteristic) When you "admire" a person, you are impressed with them and wish that you had the same qualities. "Admire" can be followed by a person's name or title: The person I admire most is my mother. Or, you can "admire" a certain quality of a person: I admire my mother's generosity. "Admire" is usually used in the simple present tense. You say "I admire ___", not "I am admiring ___". There is one situation where you use "am admiring". That is when you are looking at something that a person owns or has made. If you look at it for a long time because you think it's great, you can say: I was just admiring 赞叹 your DVD collection. You have some nice ones here. willpower "Willpower" is the ability to control yourself. If you "have strong willpower", you are able to stick to your long-term plans, and not follow your moment-by-moment desires. People usually think of willpower in connection with avoiding actions that are bad for us, but hard to resist. These include over-eating, spending money, and having sex with people that you shouldn't. 19. You've just got to force yourself to sit down and concentrate. Your son is getting bad grades in school and you want him to study harder. He complains that he can't focus on his homework and wants to know how he can become more focused. You say this because you don't think there's any special method except just trying harder. sit down and 坐下来 (do something) In English, "sitting down" is associated with doing something seriously. So "sit down and ___" means to do something carefully and deliberately: We should sit down and go through the details later this week. concentrate The word "concentrate" works by itself; you can't say "concentrate (something)". If you want to express the object of someone's concentration, use "concentrate on (something): Can you turn the TV down? I need to concentrate on this homework. Yeah, I don't know... the privacy issue doesn't really concern me too much. You're talking with a coworker about why she doesn't use social networking web sites like Facebook. She says that she doesn't like to share her personal information. You don't think that's a problem, so you say this. (something) doesn't (really) concern me (too much) The phrase "___ doesn't concern me" means "I'm not worried about ___". Adding "really" and "too much" makes the phrase sound more casual. You should know that there is also another meaning of the word "concern". If you tell someone: This doesn't concern you 与你何干, 干你何事. ...it doesn't mean that the person is not worried about something. It means that it's none of their business. It's not related to them. Usually when you use "me", you're talking about being worried, and when you use "you", "he", "she", etc. you're talking about being related to something. Albert is asking us to notify him of any revisions we make to the extensions sheet. A coworker from another department in your company has complained because people on your team don't tell him about changes that you've made to a document that is shared between your groups. You're explaining to another team member that he wants you to tell him about new changes. notify (someone) of (something) To "notify" someone of something just means to tell them. You "notify" people of things that are new and that the person might need to know or might find interesting. The word "notify" is more formal than just "tell" and is often used in business situations. Here's another example. When writing an e-mail to a client, you can offer to help when they have problems by saying: Please notify me of any problems or questions that come up. make revisions [rɪˈvaɪz] [rɪˈvɪʒ(ə)n] to (a document) (I.  [uncountable] the process of changing, improving, or making additions to something such as a plan, law, or piece of writing. He intends to undertake a major revision of the constitution. subject to revision (=likely to be changed): The article, of course, is subject to revision by the editors. a. [countable] a change, improvement, or addition that someone makes to something. A total of 24 revisions to the draft basic law were proposed. b. [countable] something that has been changed, improved, or added to. A major revision will be published in June. She's working on a revision of her original opera. II. [uncountable] education British the work of studying for an examination. revision for: I can't go out – I've got to do some revision for 复习 my exams. revise I. [transitive] to change your opinion or judgment of someone or something. a. to state a new amount after changing your opinion or judgment. These figures have now been revised. Cutbacks on investment have led to growth predictions being revised downward. II. [transitive] to change, improve, or make additions to something such as a book, law, or piece of writing. The text has been revised and published in a new edition. a revised draft of the treaty. III. [transitive] to change the way that you do something. If you want my advice, you should revise your security arrangements. IV. education British to review for a test. review I. [transitive] to study or examine a situation, policy, or idea again in order to decide whether it is suitable or satisfactory. The progress of each child must be regularly reviewed 不断检查, 不断查看. a. to examine all the information that is relevant to a situation or subject. After reviewing the evidence, the grand jury decided to discuss the case. b. American to examine a piece of writing in order to find and correct mistakes. Don't forget to review your work. II.[transitive] 评论. 测评. to write an article giving your opinion of a play, book, art exhibit, etc. The paper's music critic reviewed the production and was overwhelmed by its beauty. III. [intransitive/transitive] education American to study your notes and course information again in order to prepare for a test. The British word is revise. We spent most of the class reviewing for the test. IV. [transitive] if an important person reviews 阅兵, 检阅 a group of soldiers, sailors, etc., they officially visit them during a ceremony. ) A "revision" is a change that you make to a document that has already been finished or published. To "make revisions to ___" means to change part of something. You can also use the verb "revise" instead of "make revisions". extensions An "extension" is extra time that someone gives you after a deadline to finish something. So the "extensions sheet" is probably a document where people record when things can be finished that are going to go past the usual deadline. a (something) sheet In an office environment, a spreadsheet or document can be called a "___ sheet". You can make up a name for a document that you've written and shared with coworkers. Some examples include: the daily expenses sheet. a committee sign-up sheet.