Phrase Mix; time intensive, exploring my options; that's that

惯用法: 1. it looks like (clause): When you've noticed something and want to point it out to people, you say "it looks like ___". For example, if you're waiting for some people to meet you but they're 15 minutes late, you can say: It looks like they're not coming. If you look outside on a rainy day and it's not raining anymore, you can say: It looks like the rain has stopped. In casual speech, you can leave the word "it" out at the beginning of the sentence. 2. Looks like they finally got around to fixing that light.": The light on the first floor of your apartment has been broken for two weeks. You're annoyed that it was broken for so long. Now it's been fixed, so when you see a neighbor in the elevator you say this. Looks like they finally got around to fixing that light. People often use "they" to mean the people who are responsible for something. For example: They should clean up the sidewalks here. In this example, you don't know or care who exactly is supposed to do this; you just think that the people or department which takes care of the sidewalks should do it. "They" can mean: the government, the police, the people who manage a building, the people who run large companies. In other cases, when you use the word "they", you have to explain who you're talking about first. Imagine that someone says: They came to the beach house. If you didn't know who the speaker was talking about, you would ask: Who did? But when "they" means "the people in charge", you don't need to explain who you mean. (someone) finally (did something) "Finally" is an adverb that tells when someone did something. It means that they did it after a long wait. When you say that someone "finally" did something, it shows that you're annoyed because it took too long: I finally finished my project. I'm so glad to be done with that! get around to (doing something) To "get around to" doing something means to finally do it after a long time. You can use this phrase when someone is busy: Just check this over and send me your response whenever you can get around to it 有时间, 顾得上. Thanks! Or you can use "get around to ___ing" when you don't think someone is busy, but just that they're being lazy. This is the way that it was used in the example at top. For another example, a mother might say to her son who's in college and living in the dorms: Oh, so you finally got around to calling me, huh? The meaning of this message is "I'm upset that you didn't call me sooner." 3. It looks like I've worn through the soles. You're putting on a pair of shoes. You notice that there's now a hole in the bottom of one of them. You say this to yourself. wear through the sole (of a shoe). When something gets "worn through", it gets thinner and thinner through use, until there's a hole in it. You can use "wear through" in these ways: (someone) wears through (something) I wear through shoes quickly. (something) wears through (something) The heel of my boot wore through my sock. (somthing) is/gets worn through It's already worn through. Use "wear through" mostly to talk about clothes or the soles of a person's shoes. The "sole" is the bottom of the shoe, which touches the ground when you walk. 4. You can't just go around 老是 using people's stuff without their permission! You're in a band. You've been looking for your guitar, and are surprised to discover that your bandmate is playing it. You say this because you're angry that he took the guitar without asking you first. go around (doing something) 反复, 老是, 一次又一次的, 一次次地 The phrase "go around ___ing" describes someone doing something bad again and again, with different people. For example, if someone has been spreading false rumors about you, you can say: She's been going around telling everyone that I slept with Kyle. That's a lie! If your husband or wife has been spending a lot of money on useless things, you can say: You think you can just go around spending money left and right? We've got bills to pay, damn it! It is possible to use "go around ___ing" to talk about someone doing a good thing many times, but it's rare. Even if you're talking about the person doing something good, it might seem like you're complaining: He's always going around telling everyone what a great job they're doing. people's stuff In the example, the speaker says "people's stuff" instead of "my stuff". This makes it sound like a general rule. General rules are often expressed in terms of "people": If you want people to like you, you have to be nice to them. use (something) without (someone's) permission When you ask someone if you can do something (like "Can I use your guitar?"), and they say "yes", you have their "permission". Using something "without permission" means that you didn't ask the correct people before using it. Don't touch other people's stuff without their permission! 5. I have some bad news. This is a phrase that you say to someone, before you tell them about something negative. For example, a manager can tell an employee that another employee was fired: Hey, listen. I have some bad news. We had to let Bradley go today. The phrase "I have some bad news" is appropriate for serious problems like: someone losing their job, getting in an accident, not getting selected for a job, a school, an award, etc. losing money, the death of someone you don't know well. But it's not strong enough for really bad events, like the death of a close friend or family member. In that situation, phrases like these are better: Lana, I have some horrible news. Aunt Coco was killed in a car accident. A: What's wrong? B: Something terrible has happened. Jana was shot. 6. What's up with this erratic weather we've been having, huh? Recently, the weather has been changing drastically from one day to the next. Two days ago, it was sunny and warm, but today it's snowing. You're making small talk with a friend, so you bring up the topic of the weather. What's up with (something)? "What's up with ___?" is a casual way of asking: What is happening? Why is something happening? What's up with your family these days? What's up with that cut on your forehead? What's up with all the earthquakes that have been happening in the last few years? If someone says: What's up with this weather? ... they want to know why the weather has been changing so much. erratic weather 反常的天气 "Erratic weather" means weather that's strange for the season, and that changes a lot from day to day. People usually use this phrase to talk about weather that's warm on one day and then much cooler the next day. The word "erratic" can also be used to describe some other things, like a person's behavior: His behavior has been awfully erratic lately. Like erratic weather, "erratic behavior" is when a person acts differently from day to day. An "erratic" person changes their personality suddenly. weather we've been having You can talk about recent weather patterns using the phrase "weather we've been having": This is a strange bit of weather we've been having. Nice weather we've been having, isn't it? You use "have been ___ing" when you're talking about an action or state that is: continuing, recent. Another example of "have been ___ing" is: I've been working hard on finding a replacement for Abby now that she's left. 7. Don't tell me you're jaded already! Your brother moved to a big city a couple of months ago. When he first moved there, he was quite excited about it, but now you're talking to him on the phone and he's complaining about the city. You're surprised that he's complaining about it so quickly, so you say this. (someone) is jaded 不再喜欢, 厌倦, 厌烦 Being "jaded" means that you now have a negative and cynical attitude about something that you were once positive about. A person becomes "jaded" because of bad experiences that they have. For example, a lot of school teachers become jaded after a few years on the job. They start out hoping to improve the quality of their students' lives, but then years of difficult students, unhelpful coworkers, and low pay makes them become jaded. In order to be "jaded", you must have started out with a positive opinion of something. If you had a negative opinion from the beginning, you haven't become "jaded"; you're just cynical about it. cynical I. 愤世嫉俗的. If you describe someone as cynical, you mean they believe that people always act selfishly. someone who is cynical believes that people care only about themselves and are not sincere or honest. ...his cynical view of the world. As one former customer said cynically, 'He's probably pocketed the difference!' II. If you are cynical about something, you do not believe that it can be successful or that the people involved are honest. someone who is cynical expects things not to be successful or useful. I know that some of you are very cynical about the proposals. It's hard not to be cynical about reform. It has also made me more cynical about relationships. III. willing to let other people be harmed so that you can get an advantage. Democrats said it was a cynical attempt to smear the President's reputation. 8. It's been on the market for nearly a year now, but we still have nothing to show for it. You've been trying to sell your house for the past 11 months. You're frustrated about it. You say this while talking to your friend about this problem. (something) is on the market You say that something "is on the market" when it's being sold publicly. It's a bit of a joke, but you can also say that a person is "on the market" if they've just become single and are ready to date people: Watch out, ladies! I'm back on the market. When you first start to sell an item, you "put it on the market". (somebody) has nothing to show for it Use this expression when someone has spent a lot of time doing something, but hasn't gotten much benefit from it. In the example above, the speaker has tried to sell her house for a year, but she hasn't sold it or gotten any closer to selling it. Other examples: We've invested over two years and $2.5 million in developing a new application, but we still have nothing to show for it. Sure, you got good grades in school and all. But now what do you have to show for it? A boring job that doesn't even pay that well. have something/nothing to show for sth 一点结果也没有, 完全没有任何结果, 完全没有任何成果 If you have something/nothing to show for your work or effort, you have/have not won any advantage from it. to have achieved something​/​nothing as a result of something that you have done. They had absolutely nothing to show for weeks of hard work. I worked for two weeks, and $50 was all I had to show for it. I've been trying to write this essay all day and I have nothing to show for it. 9. I've got it 由我来吧 (我来搞定吧, 我搞定了). You're at a restaurant with a group of friends and the waiter has brought the check to your table. You pick up the check, and your friend asks you how much it is. You say this because you want to pay for everyone. When you're deciding who will pay for a meal, the phrase "I've got it" means "I'll pay for the meal": A: How much is it? B: Don't worry about it. I've got it. In a more general sense, you say "I've got it" when someone is offering to help with something, but you want to show that you can handle the situation without any help. For example, if you're carrying a heavy-looking suitcase and someone offers to carry it for you, you say: That's all right, I've got it 我没问题的, 我不需要帮助. You might also hear: I got it. This isn't technically right, but it's common in American English. 10. Creating multiple layouts for each different device would be quite time intensive. You work at a company that builds applications for tablet computers. You and some of your employees are trying to figure out whether to make different versions of the application for each type of tablet computer. You explain why this is a bad idea. (electronic) devices "Electronic devices" are machines that use batteries such as laptop computers, phones, tablets, portable video games, and so on. You can also use the word "device" by itself to talk about any machine: I saw this device on TV that chops tomatoes perfectly in just a few seconds. But more and more, "device" by itself specifically means a mobile phone or tablet computer: I heard that they're releasing a new device at the end of this month. (doing something) would (do something) You can use this sentence structure when you're making plans or decisions: Cutting the Arts program would be horrible for the children. Moving our troops to the north would make us vulnerable to an attack from the east. You can also use "___ing would ___" when you're imagining something that probably won't happen: Living on Mars would be awesome! multiple (things) "Multiple" means "many" or "several". This word sounds intelligent and academic. Some words that often appear with "multiple" are: multiple perspectives, multiple factors, multiple layers, multiple locations. create a layout 布局 A "layout" is a design for where things are going to go. You can make layouts for things like: software applications. magazine pages. where pieces of furniture should go in a room. (something) is time intensive 太花时间了, 太浪费时间了 If an activity is "time intensive", it means that it takes a lot of time to complete. You can use this phrase for talking about some task at work: I don't think we should bother with that. It's too time intensive 太耗时间了. You can also use it to describe hobbies that take up a lot of time: Making your own furniture is really cool, but it's really time intensive. 10. Blackbeard was a notorious pirate who raided ships 袭击商船, 抢劫商船 in the early 18th century off the east coast of the United States. You're watching a documentary about history. The narrator is describing a pirate. off the coast of (somewhere) This phrase describes a location in the ocean that's away from the land but close to a certain continent, country, state, province, island, etc.: off the coast of South America. off the coast of Maui. off the coast of California. You can also include details about which side of a country you mean: They crashed off the south coast of Cuba. a (first/second/19th/etc.)-century (something) When English speakers say "20th century", it means the years from 1901-2000. Similarly, "18th century" is 1701-1800, and "first centry" is 1-100 A.D. You can use this phrase as an adjective like this: They discovered the sunken remains of a fifteenth-century trading ship 商船. They didn't have our modern 21st-century conveniences back then. Without the hyphen ("-"), you can use this phrase as a noun too: They've been fighting off and on since the 17th century. a notorious (person) To be "notorious" means that you are famous or well-known for doing something bad. Examples include: a notorious drug lord. a notorious ladies' man. a notorious liar. a pirate "Pirates" are people who attack ships and steal things from them. When most of us think of pirates, we think of people from the 1700s who sailed on wooden sailing ships. However, there are also modern-day pirates in some parts of the world. raid (something) 侵袭, 袭击, 侵略 When a group of people attack something and steal things, it's called "raiding": Bands of thieves would sometimes raid the village. Soldiers, pirates, and gangs "raid" places. 11. Hi — I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Aaron. A new person has started working at your company. You've seen her in meetings, but no one has introduced you to her and you haven't spoken with her yet. You'd like to meet her. You walk up to her in the hallway and say this. properly (done) The word "proper" means "correct". It sounds formal, and to most Americans it sounds a little British. It makes me think of men in tuxedos, and women in big white dresses drinking tea. Of course, "proper" and "properly" aren't always used in such extremely formal situations. You can use "properly" to talk about doing something in the correct way: He handled it properly and professionally. Your brain needs oxygen in order to function properly. I don't think we've been properly introduced. This is a phrase that you can use to introduce yourself to someone in a formal situation when no one else has introduced you to them yet: I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Chad. This sentence only makes sense if you've seen, written to, or heard the person but haven't spoken directly to them yet. 12. Maybe if we rearrange some of this stuff...? You're going on a trip with a group of friends. You're all riding in your friend's car. He's trying to put all the suitcases in the trunk, but yours isn't fitting 放不进去, 塞不下, 装不下. You make this suggestion because you think it might be possible to get them all in if they're all packed in the right way. Maybe if we rearrange some of this stuff...? Maybe if (someone) (does something)? When you're looking for solutions to a problem, you can introduce different ideas that you have with "Maybe if...". For example, if someone is looking for a way to sell her old computer, you can suggest: Well, maybe if you put it on Craigslist, someone might buy it. Usually "if" sentences include the conclusion, but if the speaker and the listeners all know what the conclusion is, you can leave it off 省去. So in this example: Maybe if we rearrange some of this stuff...? ...actually means this: Maybe if we rearrange some of this stuff, we can fit all of the suitcases in the trunk. But because everyone knows the conclusion, you don't need to say it. rearrange (something) 重新布置 To "rearrange" things means to change their order or position: Did you rearrange the furniture in here? I rearranged my schedule so that I could sleep in until 9:00 every morning. You can also use the specific words "reorder" and "reposition" but "rearrange" can replace both of those. "Stuff" can mean almost any physical items or material. It's similar to the word "things", but "things" are countable and "stuff" is not. So "stuff" is better to use when you're talking about a group of things that are different from each other - different sizes, shapes, etc. "Stuff" is especially used to refer to things that you buy or own: There's a good chance that you'll end up buying a lot of stuff while you're there. I'll go pick up all the stuff we need. Excuse me. Would you mind watching over my stuff for me for just a minute? But "stuff" can also mean "topics" or "ideas", like in this example: We have a lot of stuff to talk about. 13. I'm not even remotely interested in hearing what he has to say. You got a telephone call from your ex-boyfriend. You had a bad breakup with him, so you don't want to talk to him. Your friend asks if you are going to call back. You say this. (someone) is not even remotely interested in 一丁点都不感兴趣 (something) "Not even remotely interested" means "not interested at all". Use this phrase to emphasize that you really, really don't care about something. The word "remote" means "far away". So "not even remotely" means "not even far away". If you're "not even remotely interested", it means that you don't have any interest, not even a small, far-away interest. Some other words you can use with "not even remotely": Aren't you even remotely curious as to what he's been doing all these years? Don't you think it's even remotely possible that there could be intelligent life on other planets? 14. Keep in mind that it's a lot warmer there at this time of year. Your roommate is going on a trip for a few weeks to Bali, which she's never visited before. You've been to Bali before, and want to give her advice on what to pack for the trip. You say this because you don't think she needs to take a lot of heavy clothes. 15. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Your brother has made a lot of money on the stock market and says that he wants to use some of the money to buy an expensive sports car. You try to talk him out of it (convince him not to do it) but he says he can afford to buy it because he has enough money. You say this because you still think the idea is dumb. 16. For some reason FBS wouldn't let me log in. You're learning how to use a computer program at work. You tried to open the program, but it wouldn't accept your account name and password. You ask a coworker for help. (a computer program) won't let me (do something) We often talk about computers as if they were people. This is an example: It won't let me save. This means "I can't save (a document)." When you're unable to do something using a computer, you can say that the computer "won't let you" do it. Another example: It's so annoying: it won't let me open two windows, so I have to keep closing one window and opening another. log in (to a computer or a program) "Logging in" to a computer, a computer program, or a website means entering information like your user name and password so that you will be allowed to access it: Can you log in to your computer? OK, I'm logged in. What do I do next? "Logging in" is also known as "signing in". 16. My father was always too absorbed in his work to pay much attention to me. You don't get along well with your father. When you were a child, he was a busy executive. You're talking to a therapist about the problems that you have with him. You confess this to the therapist. My father was always too absorbed in his work to pay much attention to me. When you're speaking to your father, you should use a term of address such as these: "Dad" is the standard way that most people call their fathers. "Daddy" is how young children might talk call their fathers. Most people stop calling their fathers "Daddy" in their teenage years, but some people continue to do so even as adults. Some groups of people use the word "Pop" to refer to their fathers. It's not as common as "Dad", though. Calling your father "Father" seems extremely formal. (someone is) absorbed in (something) 太沉迷于 Being "absorbed in" something means that you're paying close attention to it, and not paying much attention to anything else. Here are some things that you can be "absorbed in": absorbed in thought, absorbed in a book, absorbed in your work, absorbed in conversation. Being "absorbed in" something doesn't really have a strongly positive or negative meaning. It's neutral. pay (much) attention to (someone) "Paying attention to" a person means that you talk with them, listen to them, spend time together, etc. People are supposed to pay attention to their children and families, so it's usually in this situation that people talk about "paying attention to" people. There's also another meaning of "paying attention to" someone. This other sense means to look and listen carefully to someone at one certain time. For example, parents might tell their kids: Pay attention to the teacher! But the meaning of this is a little different from: I'm worried that we haven't been paying enough attention to Zack ever since Adele was born. 17. I'm... ah... I'm exploring my options 可选项 right now 掂量. You're at a family reunion. One of your uncles asks about your work situation. You don't have a job right now. You're embarrassed, so you describe your situation this way. (someone) is exploring (his or her) options "Exploring your options" means trying to get information to make a decision. For example: We're probably going to switch to a new website host, but we haven't decided which one yet. We're still exploring our options. If you're trying to find a new job, you can also say that you're "exploring your options": I just graduated, so I'm still exploring my options. When you use this phrase, it sounds like you have several different job offers that you can choose from, but you haven't decided which one to take yet. Of course, the truth might be that no one has offered you a job yet! So this phrase has also become a way of saying that someone is unemployed: A: Has Malia found a job yet? B: No, she's still "exploring her options". 18. We're not stopping to get ice cream, and that's that! You're riding in a car with your family. Your kids are in the back seat, and they're begging you to get ice cream for them. They keep asking again and again, but you keep saying "no". Now it's starting to annoy you. You say this to end the conversation. I'm visiting Grandma Kate at the nursing home on Saturday. I'm making supper for everyone tonight. I'm not leaving, and that's that. This form expresses a future plan that you're pretty sure about, and that has already been planned for. "I'm going to (do something)" expresses a plan that you're just a little less sure of: I think I'm going to buy him a new camera for his birthday. I'm not going to go to the wedding. stop to (do something) When you're travelling in a car, "stopping to ___" means to stop the car, so that you or the passengers can do something: I need to stop to pee soon. Would you mind stopping to get some trash bags at the grocery store on your way home? Notice that the meaning of "stop to ___" is completely different from "stop ___ing". "Stop ___ing" means that you don't continue doing something: When are you going to stop smoking? that's that 就是这样了, 到此为止了, 不要再提了 Use this phrase to end a discussion. "That's that" means that you think a conversation topic is finished. In the example above, the mom doesn't want to discuss getting ice cream with her sons any longer. She says "That's that" to let her kids know that her answer won't change, no matter how many times they ask: A: What did he say? B: He said "No". A: Well, I guess that's that then. 19. Not exactly, but I did get some promising leads. You're a salesperson. You just got back from a conference. Your boss asks if you made any sales. You didn't, but you met several people who you think you might be able to sell to successfully. You say this in response. "No" sounds very final. "Not exactly" doesn't sound as complete and certain, so you can use it when the answer is 50% yes and 50% no: A: Do you know how to get there? B: Not exactly. (someone) did (do something) You put "did" in there when your sentence contrasts with what someone said: A: Did you make any sales 有卖出去东西吗? B: No, but I did get some promising leads. Of course, you can see the same pattern with other helping verbs: I'm not afraid of the dark. I am afraid of wild animals, though. a promising (something) In the example above, the speaker got business cards from a few potential customers. She thinks that she might be able to sell to them. She's optimistic about those people becoming customers, so she says that the leads are "promising". Here are some things that are often called "promising": Jules had a promising future as a management consultant, but she left it all behind to start her own organic bakery. He works with promising young athletes to improve their strength, flexibility, and endurance. Researchers are currently working on a promising new treatment for breast cancer. leads 有用的信息 In sales, "leads" are names and contact information for people who you might be able to sell something to. These are usually people who have shown some interest in that product or service. You can use the word "leads" to refer to: the information that you have about people. the people who might be interested in what you're selling. Leads can be: "cold" if the person doesn't expect to hear from you. "warm" if the person has shown that they want to know more about your product or service. "promising" if you think there's a good chance of completing the sale. There are also "leads" in other fields. In police or detective work, "leads" are possible clues that can lead to solving a case. 20.